Jennifer Homendy, chair of the National Transportation Safety Board, told CNN on January 8 that she was aware the plane had pressurization issues before the door plug blew out, and the safety regulator planned on probing Alaska Airlines about the incident. Such deferred maintenance is common and legal, and the plane had made 154 successful flights before the blowout. In its preliminary investigation, the NTSB found that Boeing probably did not put required bolts in the door plug. It’s not clear that an expedited maintenance schedule would have led Alaska Airlines to discover that problem. “We remain confident in our maintenance and safety actions leading up to the incident.

Source: CNN March 13, 2024 08:50 UTC