Boeing has been the topic of a federal investigation ever since January, when an Alaska Airways flight involving one in every of its planes had its door blown out. Since then, issues concerning the security of Boeing’s manufacturing course of have swirled and investigators have sought to find out simply how such a factor occurred.
This week, the chair of the Nationwide Transportation Security Board, Jennifer Homendy, told senators that the company’s investigation into the troubled flight was having issue as a result of Boeing had not retained the sort of documentation crucial to know how the door had malfunctioned.
“To this point, we nonetheless have no idea who carried out the work to open, reinstall, and shut the door plug on the accident plane,” Homendy wrote in a letter to the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee. “Boeing has knowledgeable us that they’re unable to search out the data documenting this work. A verbal request was made by our investigators for safety digital camera footage to assist receive this info; nevertheless, they had been knowledgeable the footage was overwritten. The absence of these data will complicate the NTSB’s investigation shifting ahead.”
When reached for remark by Gizmodo, a Boeing official mentioned that video recordings had been solely “maintained on a rolling 30-day foundation” and that after that they had been overwritten. On this case, the aircraft in query was repaired someday previous to October 31, which is the date when it was delivered to Alaska Airways to be used. The aircraft’s troubled flight occurred on January 5, some two-ish months later, which might’ve put it exterior the 30 day window.
Boeing’s disaster continues to escalate
Along with the very actual issues with its plane, Boeing has an entire different, weirder downside on its palms, within the type of John Barnett. A former company whistleblower, Barnett was found dead last week at a motel in South Carolina. Whereas the native coroner’s workplace has mentioned that Barnett’s demise seems to have occurred as the results of a self-inflicted gunshot wound, the odd circumstances round his demise have rapidly spawned conspiracy theories, spurring a broader public relations disaster for the corporate.
For one factor, Barnett was concerned in a whistleblower retaliation lawsuit towards Boeing on the time of his demise and was in the course of conducting depositions when he died. He was scheduled to look in courtroom for yet one more deposition when motel workers discovered him useless in his truck.
Since then, individuals who say they knew or labored with Barnett have claimed they’ve doubts about his demise being a suicide. A lady who says she is a “household buddy” of the whistleblower claims Barnett once told her “If something occurs to me, it’s not suicide.” In the meantime, staff who work on the plant the place Barnett was beforehand employed have expressed doubt that he killed himself. Workers on the motel the place Barnett was staying on the time of his demise have said that he “didn’t appear upset in any respect” on the night earlier than he died.
Barnett’s attorneys have equally said that they need “extra info” about what occurred to their consumer. They mentioned Barnett was “in good spirits” within the days earlier than his demise and that “nobody can consider” that he killed himself.
That mentioned, Barnett’s family have blamed Boeing for his demise, albeit in a really completely different manner than on-line conspiracy theorists: “He was affected by PTSD and anxiousness assaults on account of being subjected to the hostile work atmosphere at Boeing which we consider led to his demise,” reads a statement released by family members, together with Barnett’s brother.
Boeing has responded to the continuing hypothesis and outcry about Barnett’s demise with a easy assertion: “We’re saddened by Mr. Barnett’s passing, and our ideas are along with his household and buddies.”
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