THE plug door that blew out from a Boeing 737 MAX 9 during an Alaska Airlines flight earlier this month was manufactured in Malaysia, said the head of the agency investigating the incident.
Jennifer Homendy, chair of the National Transportation Safety Board said Spirit AeroSystems produced the plug door in Malaysia before it wound up in the Boeing supplier’s Wichita, Kan., factory, and eventually on a train to the plane maker’s 737 factory in Renton, Wash., near Seattle.
According to reports in The Wall Street Journal, Homendy said the safety board’s investigation would delve into the plug door’s production, transport, installation and entry into service – as well as quality checks along the way.
The origin of the plug door highlights the complexity of Boeing's supply chain where the production of various components has been outsourced.
Boeing and Spirit are supporting authorities in their investigation into the accident.
Following a closed-door briefing with members of the Senate Commerce Committee, Homendy said there was no indication yet where in the process the incident occurred.
“This could be anywhere along the line, and we are not just pinpointing manufacturing," she said.
An Alaska Airlines Max 9 was forced to make an emergency landing on Jan. 5 after a panel blew out of the side of the plane shortly after takeoff from Portland, Oregon.
Alaska and United Airlines have said they found other MAX 9s in their fleets with loose hardware surrounding those jets’ plug doors.
FAA chief Mike Whitaker told The Wall Street Journal last week “all indications are its manufacturing” that led to the Alaska accident and not a design flaw with the plug door.
Both airlines have cancelled hundreds of flights while their Max 9s are grounded.
A spokesman for Spirit AeroSystems had also confirmed that the plug was made in Malaysia and said the company is committed to cooperating with the NTSB. – The Vibes, January 18, 2024
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