Politico reports the comments come during lead investigator Jennifer Homendy’s testimony before the Senate Commerce Committee.
Homendy: “We Don’t Have the Records.”
In her discussion with the committee, Homendy claims both Boeing and Spirit Aerosystems have not provided key information which would shine light on how the door plug aboard Alaska’s Boeing 737 MAX was installed. In particular, the NTSB investigation is seeking more about the 25-person team involved in the installation, and how it was installed.
“We don’t have the records,” Homendy told the committee, as quoted by Politico. “We don’t have the names of the 25 people in charge of doing that work in that facility. It is absurd that two months later, we don’t have that.”
In addition, Homendy and the NTSB say the stonewalling casts doubt on whether or not Boeing and Spirit kept proper paperwork on the installation process, or if it was ever created. Senators on the committee lambasted Boeing and their leadership, stating they were disappointed they are not living up to their commitment of full transparency.
The comments come after the NTSB released a preliminary report about the incident in early February 2024. The initial findings showed the door plug was closed with “no retention hardware,” leading to the in-flight malfunction. In later comments to reporters, Homendy clarified that she does not see the lack of documentation as a malicious act by Boeing or Spirit.
While Boeing has not publicly commented on the continuing investigation, a Spirit Aerosystems spokesperson told Politico they are “coordinating with the NTSB” to address the questions from the senators.
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