Can you imagine a world where jets are flying without a crucial safety feature like door bolts?
Welcome to the Alaska Airlines 737 Max 9 incident, shedding light on colossal lapses from
Boeing and the FAA.
At a Glance
● The NTSB has determined the probable cause of the Alaska Airlines door plug blowout was Boeing’s failure to install four critical bolts.
● NTSB Chair Jennifer Homendy blamed “multiple system failures” and a lack of quality control at Boeing for the incident.
● The FAA’s “hands-off” oversight of the aircraft manufacturer was also cited as a contributing factor.
● The NTSB issued 18 new safety recommendations for Boeing and the FAA to address
these systemic issues.
The Verdict: Boeing Failed to Install the Bolts
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has determined that the probable cause of
the terrifying January 5 door plug blowout on an Alaska Airlines 737 MAX was Boeing’s failure
to install four bolts designed to secure the plug. In a final board meeting on Tuesday, June 25,
2025, the agency laid bare the production lapses that led to the incident.
The NTSB found that the work to open and close the door plug during a repair at Boeing’s
Renton, Washington, factory was never formally documented. Crucially, this meant there was no
procedure in place to verify that the bolts had been reinstalled before the plane was delivered.
“Multiple System Failures” at Boeing
NTSB Chair Jennifer Homendy described the event as the result of “multiple system failures”
and a broken safety culture at the manufacturing giant. “The safety deficiencies that led to this
accident should have been evident to Boeing and to the FAA,” Homendy stated, as reported by
Fox Business. “It should have been preventable.”
The investigation revealed that Boeing employees even had a photograph showing the door
plug with the bolts visibly missing, but no one caught the glaring error. The NTSB concluded that
Boeing’s quality control processes were “ineffective and confusing,” creating an environment
where such a critical mistake was possible.
Lax Oversight from the FAA
The NTSB also directed sharp criticism at the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) for its
inadequate and “hands-off” oversight of Boeing. The safety board found that the FAA had too
few inspectors to properly monitor Boeing’s production and had delegated too much safety
responsibility to the manufacturer itself.
In response, the FAA stated it has “fundamentally changed how it oversees Boeing since the
Alaska Airlines door-plug accident, and we will continue this aggressive oversight.” The agency
has capped Boeing’s production of the 737 MAX until it is satisfied with the company’s quality
control improvements. In a statement reported by ABC News, the FAA said it “will not lift the
737 production cap until we are fully confident the company can consistently produce aircraft
that meet our rigorous safety and quality standards.” The NTSB has issued 18 new safety
recommendations to address the systemic problems at both Boeing and the FAA.