Concerns about quality control at Boeing are mounting, as new revelations from an alleged whistleblower suggest mistakes at the company’s factory led to a fuselage panel blowing off an Alaska Airlines jet in midair earlier this month.
No one was seriously injured when the panel known as a door plug blew off at 16,000 feet. But the dramatic incident has renewed questions about Boeing's manufacturing processes, and whether the company is prioritizing speed and profit over safety.
Now a self-described Boeing employee claims to have details about how the door plug on that Boeing 737 Max 9 was improperly installed. Those new details, which were first reported by the Seattle Times, were published in a post on an aviation website last week.
"The reason the door blew off is stated in black and white in Boeing's own records," wrote the whistleblower, who appears to have access to the company's manufacturing records. "It is also very, very stupid and speaks volumes about the quality culture at certain portions of the business."
According to the whistleblower's account, four bolts that are supposed to hold the door plug in place "were not installed when Boeing delivered the plane, our own records reflect this."
Investigators at the National Transportation Safety Board have already raised the possibility that the bolts were not installed. The NTSB is still investigating the incident. If the whistleblower's description is accurate, investigators may be able to confirm it by looking at...
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