CNN reports that Boeing CEO David Calhoun acknowledged the company made a manufacturing “mistake” at an all-hands crisis meeting yesterday, addressing the window blow-out at 16,000 feet which forced an Alaska Airlines 747 MAX 9 to make an emergency landing Friday.
“We’re going to approach this number one acknowledging our mistake,” he told staff. “We’re going to approach it with 100% and complete transparency every step of the way. We are going to work with the NTSB who is investigating the accident itself to find out what the cause is.”
None of the 177 people aboard were hurt, but the gaping, refridgerator-sized hole in the plane sucked possessions into the void and the FAA soon ordered the nation’s fleet of Boeing 737 Max 9 aircraft to be grounded during the investigation. Problems with the plane’s pressurization were reportedly detected three times in the past month.
NTSB Chair Jennifer Homendy also told reporters over the weekend that Alaska Airlines had previously restricted the aircraft in Friday’s incident from flying over the ocean after the plane’s automatic pressurization warning light came on three times in the past month. Homendy, however, emphasized during a press conference late Monday night that the NTSB has “no indications whatsoever that this correlated in any way” to the incident that led to a piece of the plane from blowing off.
Two crashes of 747 MAX jets killed hudreds of passengers in 2019 and 2020 incidents which led to intense scrutiny of Boeing’s record and regulatory failures. During the investigation then, one employee described the 737 MAX series as “designed by clowns, who in turn are supervised by monkeys.”
Boeing shares “plunged” on Monday, the first trading day after Friday’s incident over Oregon, shaving a tenth off the company’s value.
