US sanctions Boeing for sharing information about investigation

US authorities sanctioned Boeing for sharing information about a federal investigation into the explosion of a door stopper which left a large hole in a Boeing 737 Max 9.

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) said Thursday that Boeing “blatantly violated” the agency’s investigative regulations as well as a signed agreement by providing nonpublic investigative information to the media and speculating about possible causes of the Jan. 5 door stopper explosion on a Boeing passenger jet in Portland, Oregon.

During the incident, a panel covering a space left for an additional emergency door flew off an Alaska Airlines Max 9. The pilots were able to land safely and there were no injuries.

The NTSB said that during a news conference Tuesday regarding the investigation, a Boeing executive provided non-media information about the Alaska Airlines incident that the agency had not verified or authorized for release.

The NTSB added that Boeing described the NTSB investigation as a search to find the individual responsible for the door work, but the agency clarified that it is focused on the probable cause of the accident, without assigning blame or assessing liability.

Boeing had not responded to a request for comment early Thursday. Shares of The Boeing Co., based in Arlington, Virginia, were flat before the trading bell.

The NTSB indicated that, given its recent actions, Boeing will not have access to the investigative information that the agency produces about the Alaska Airlines incident, but will maintain its status as a party to the investigation.

The NTSB cannot fine Boeing because it is not a law enforcement agency. While it could have removed the status on Boeing’s part, the NTSB may have considered it more important to keep Boeing as a party to the investigation because of the expertise of its employees.

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