BOEING 737-9

Portland, OR — January 6, 2024

Event Information

DateJanuary 6, 2024
Event TypeACC
NTSB NumberDCA24MA063
Event ID20240106193617
LocationPortland, OR
CountryUSA
Coordinates45.45417, -122.75555
Highest InjuryMINR

Aircraft

MakeBOEING
Model737-9
CategoryAIR
FAR Part121
Aircraft DamageSUBS

Conditions

Light ConditionNITE
WeatherVMC

Injuries

Fatal0
Serious0
Minor8
None172
Total Injured8

Probable Cause

the in-flight separation of the left mid exit door (MED) plug due to Boeing Commercial Airplanes’ failure to provide adequate training, guidance, and oversight necessary to ensure that manufacturing personnel could consistently and correctly comply with its parts removal process, which was intended to document and ensure that the securing bolts and hardware that were removed from the left MED plug to facilitate rework during the manufacturing process were reinstalled. Contributing to the accident was the Federal Aviation Administration’s ineffective compliance enforcement surveillance and audit planning activities, which failed to adequately identify and ensure that Boeing addressed the repetitive and systemic nonconformance issues associated with its parts removal process.

About This NTSB Record

This aviation event was investigated by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). NTSB investigates all U.S. civil aviation accidents to determine probable cause and issue safety recommendations to prevent future accidents.

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