The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has reportedly set a hearing date in its investigation into why a plug door separated from an Alaska Airlines Boeing 737 MAX 9 shortly after takeoff from Portland International Airport (PDX).
According to Reuters, the NTSB board said on June 2, 2025, that a hearing will be held on June 24, 2025, to help determine what caused the plug door separation.
On January 5, 2024, there were 171 passengers and six crew members on board flight 1282 when the aircraft reached around 16,000 feet and a window and its surrounding panel broke away from the aircraft.
The pilot initiated an emergency landing as passengers’ mobile phones, and even a child’s -shirt, were sucked out of the cabin following the blowout.
In the following days, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) grounded a total of 171 Boeing 737 MAX 9s, including 65 Alaska Airlines jets, so that checks could be conducted.
Although the exact cause of the separation has yet to be determined, a preliminary report said that four key bolts designed to hold the plug door in place were missing.
“Four bolts that prevent upward movement of the mid exit door plug were missing before the mid exit plug moved upward off the stop pads,” the NTSB said in February 2024.
The incident and subsequent scrutiny of Boeing’s quality procedures during production threw the aircraft maker into disarray.
Limits were placed on how many aircraft Boeing was allowed to produce each month, and still today the company is under “enhanced oversight” from the FAA.
The former CEO of Boeing Dave Calhoun was also replaced by Kelly Ortberg to help regain the confidence of its airline customers and passengers.
“What’s needed is a fundamental cultural shift at Boeing that’s oriented around safety and quality above profits. That will require sustained effort and commitment from Boeing, and unwavering scrutiny on our part,” former FAA Administrator Mike Whitaker wrote in January 2025.
