The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA)
will join the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) in investigating Boeing
after a side panel blew off an Alaska Airlines 737 MAX 9 plane last week during
a flight.
"This incident should
have never happened, and it cannot happen again," the FAA said in a
statement, noting it had formally notified Boeing of the probe.
A door plug on the 737 Max 9
apparently came loose. In a subsequent inspection, Alaska and United Airlines,
the only U.S.-based airlines to use the jet, found similar deficiencies on
other MAX 9 planes.
"We will cooperate fully
and transparently with the FAA and the NTSB on their investigations,"
Boeing said in a statement.
The FAA said it would
"determine if Boeing failed to ensure completed products conformed to its
approved design and were in a condition for safe operation in compliance with
FAA regulations."
"Boeing's manufacturing
practices need to comply with the high safety standards they're legally
accountable to meet," the statement continued.
That particular model of
aircraft has been grounded indefinitely.
"The safety of the
flying public, not speed, will determine the timeline for returning the Boeing
737-9 Max to service," the FAA said.
The pilot of the impacted
Alaska plane was able to make an emergency landing without any injuries.
"We're going
to approach it with 100 percent and complete transparency every step of
the way," Boeing CEO Dave Calhoun said. "We are going to work with
the NTSB, who is investigating the accident itself, to find out what the cause
is."
The investigations should
still reaffirm our
confidence in air travel.
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