Washington (January 11, 2024) - Senators Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.), J.D. Vance (R-Ohio), and Peter Welch (D-Vt.), members of the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee, today demanded answers from Boeing CEO David Calhoun about the company’s manufacturing quality control, oversight of contractors, and communications after an Alaska Airlines’ Boeing 737 Max 9 door plug blew off the side of the airplane at 16,000 feet, with 177 passengers and crew onboard. Within a day, the Federal Aviation Administration grounded all 737 Max 9 planes. Subsequently, Alaska Airlines and United Airlines inspection crews found that some of their Max 9 aircraft had loose bolts that hold the door plug in place. In their letter, Senators Markey, Vance, and Welch urged Boeing to cooperate fully with the National Transportation Safety Board’s (NTSB) ongoing investigation into the incident and called for the Max 9 fleet to remain grounded until they are fully safe to return to the skies.
In their letter to CEO Calhoun, the senators wrote, “Although we are grateful that nobody was seriously harmed, this incident still posed an extreme danger for everyone onboard. Had the door plug blown out of the plane at 33,000 feet — and not 16,000 feet — the outcome likely would have been much worse.”
The senators continued, “Boeing’s quality assurance process appears to have been unable to identify the loose bolts — a serious oversight. Even more concerning, Boeing contracts the manufacture and installation of door plugs to Spirit AeroSystems, raising questions about not only Boeing’s internal quality control, but also its oversight of its contractors.”
Senators Markey, Vance, and Welch requested answers to the following questions about Boeing’s quality control procedures by January 18th:
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