Boeing boss admits ‘mistake’ after Alaska Airlines incident with 737 MAX 9 and promises transparency

The Executive Chairman of BoeingDave Calhoun took responsibility for the near-catastrophic Alaska Airlines incident on Tuesday, promising “full transparency”, as the aviation giant tries to emerge from its latest crisis.

“We are going to address this first and foremost by admitting our mistake,” Calhoun told employees at a safety meeting called after Friday’s emergency landing, which occurred after an aircraft panel came loose mid-flight.

“We’re going to approach it with 100% and full transparency every step of the way”, he assured.

Calhoun, who rose to the top of Boeing in January 2020 as the company reeled from two fatal crashes in 737MAXcommitted to cooperating with the United States National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), which is investigating the incident.

“I trust every step they take, and they will come to a conclusion,” Calhoun said of the NTSB.

US regulators, along with the Federal Aviation Administration, have grounded 171 737 MAX 9 aircraft with the same configuration as the Alaska Airlines plane.

The American airlines United and Alaska Airlines reported on Monday that they “loose components” on some of its Boeing 737 MAX 9 aircraft during preliminary inspections.

The affected panel, a door plug, is used to fill an unnecessary emergency exit in aircraft.

NTSB investigators suggested Monday night that was part of it It was not adjusted properly.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said this on Tuesday They were still working with Boeing to finalize detailed inspection instructions for aircraft on the ground. (JO)