Here’s what Boeing’s CEO told his employees about the Alaska Airlines 1282 incident

Eve Chen, USA TODAY
An Alaska Airlines Boeing 737 Max 9 aircraft awaits inspection outside the airline's hangar at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport on Jan. 10, 2024. On a Jan. 5 Alaska Airlines flight, a panel used to plug an area reserved for an exit door blew open midair, forcing it to return to Portland, Oregon.
An Alaska Airlines Boeing 737 Max 9 aircraft awaits inspection outside the airline's hangar at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport on Jan. 10, 2024. On a Jan. 5 Alaska Airlines flight, a panel used to plug an area reserved for an exit door blew open midair, forcing it to return to Portland, Oregon.

Boeing CEO Dave Calhoun says Friday’s Alaska Airlines incident involving a Boeing 737 Max 9’s door separating from the plane mid-air “shook me to the bone.”

“I didn’t know what happened to whoever was supposed to be in the seat next to that hole in the airplane,” Calhoun said during a town hall with Boeing employees that was shared, in part, on the company’s website. “I got kids. I got grandkids, and so do you. This stuff matters. Everything matters.”

The cause of the incident remains under investigation by the National Transportation Safety Board, but Calhoun accepted responsibility on behalf of Boeing.

“We’re going to approach this, number one, acknowledging our mistake,” he told employees, noting that he was preaching to the choir. “We’re going to approach it with 100% and complete transparency every step of the way.”

He pledged to work closely with the NTSB and Federal Aviation Administration, who he said will help “ensure every next plane that moves into the sky is in fact safe and that this event can never happen again.”

A door plug area of an Alaska Airlines Boeing 737 Max 9 aircraft awaits inspection with paneling removed at the airline's facilities at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport on Jan. 10, 2024.
A door plug area of an Alaska Airlines Boeing 737 Max 9 aircraft awaits inspection with paneling removed at the airline's facilities at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport on Jan. 10, 2024.

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All Boeing 737 Max 9 planes have been grounded pending inspections and any necessary repairs involving potentially loose door bolts. The 737 Max family of jets has had a checkered history, and the Max 8 was grounded in 2019 following two deadly crashes within months.

Calhoun acknowledged Boeing’s customers are anxious after this latest incident, but said customers continue to have confidence in the aircraft manufacturer.

“(Customers) do (have confidence) and they will again, but we’re going to have to demonstrate it by our actions, our willingness to work directly and transparently with them and to make sure they understand that every airplane that Boeing has its name on that’s in the sky is in fact safe and we will see our way through to that,” he said.

No one was seriously injured in Friday’s incident on Alaska Airlines Flight 1282, thanks largely to the quick actions of the pilots and crew on board, according to Calhoun.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: 737 door plug incident investigation will be transparent: Boeing CEO

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