Plastic sheeting covers part of the fuselage of Alaska Airlines N704AL Boeing 737 MAX 9 outside a hangar at Portland International Airport on January 8, 2024 in Portland, Oregon.
Mathieu Louis-Roland | Good pictures
The Federal Aviation Administration on Thursday told Boeing it was investigating whether it failed to ensure that “products conform to the approved design and are in a condition for safe operation in accordance with FAA regulations.”
The study comes less than a week after a crew from a 2-month-old Boeing 737 Max 9 jet blew out during an Alaska Airlines flight at 16,000 feet.
FAA Grounds Boeing's 737 Max 9 to Inspect Alaska Airlines Flight Alaska and United Airlines have said they have found loose hardware on other planes.
The National Transportation Safety Board, which is leading the crash investigation, is focusing on why the door exploded during the flight. There were no serious injuries and there were no passengers in the two seats next to the panel.
The FAA, in a letter to Boeing's quality assurance officer on Thursday, outlined the manufacturer's responsibility to ensure the aircraft conforms to design and remains in a safe condition.
“The circumstances described above indicate that Boeing may have failed to ensure that its finished product conformed to its approved design and was in a condition for safe operation in accordance with quality system inspection and testing procedures,” said Air Safety Officer John Piccola. The FAA said in a letter to Boeing.
Boeing did not immediately comment.
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