Overview

• The NTSB’s 17-month probe concluded that missing bolts plus insufficient FAA oversight triggered the midair blowout of a door plug panel on Flight 1282 in January 2024.
• Boeing factory workers reported that production speed pressures and insufficient training led to four securing bolts being omitted during a rivet repair at the Renton plant.
• NTSB Chair Jennifer Homendy criticized Boeing’s safety culture plus FAA audit gaps as systemic failures that should have been identified pre-delivery.
• CEO Kelly Ortberg has launched new safety reforms plus appointed a senior vice president of quality, overseeing a redesigned door plug with a redundant backup system due for FAA approval in 2026.
• The FAA has capped 737 Max output at 38 jets per month, regulators are enforcing tougher manufacturing standards plus Boeing faces passenger lawsuits and a Justice Department probe.