Door Panel in Boeing Blowout Was Manufactured In Malaysia

"WASHINGTON -- A Boeing 737 MAX 9 door plug that blew out during a harrowing Alaska Airlines flight earlier this month was manufactured in Malaysia, according to the nation's top air-safety investigator, who offered new details from the probe into what led to the accident.

Jennifer Homendy, chair of the National Transportation Safety Board, said Wednesday that Spirit AeroSystems produced the door plug 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.

Homendy said the safety board's investigation would delve into the door plug's production, transport, installation and entry into service -- as well as quality checks along the way. The door plug's origin highlights the complexity of Boeing's supply chain after years of increased outsourcing of various components' production. Boeing and Spirit said they are supporting authorities' investigation into the accident.

"We have no indication right now of where in the process this occurred," Homendy said after a closed-door briefing with the Senate Commerce Committee on Wednesday. "This could be anywhere along the line, and we are not just pinpointing manufacturing."

The Federal Aviation Administration, which grounded about 170 MAX 9 jets after the Alaska blowout and emergency landing, said Wednesday the aircraft would be banned from flying passengers until it evaluated data from inspections of the planes' door plugs. The agency offered no estimate for when the MAX 9 jets would resume flying.

Alaska and United Airlines have said they found other MAX 9s in their fleets with loose hardware surrounding those jets' door plugs.

Homendy said Wednesday some bolts on the door plug are supposed to be loose and are secured by pins. The NTSB's metallurgical analysis will be looking for signs of fatigue cracking and corrosion and other potential factors that led to the Alaska blowout, she said." [1]

1.  Door Panel in Boeing Blowout Was Manufactured In Malaysia. Kiernan, Paul; Tangel, Andrew.  Wall Street Journal, Eastern edition; New York, N.Y.. 18 Jan 2024: B.2.