Boeing admits mistakes in mid-air US plane crash

Boeing thừa nhận mắc sai lầm trong vụ máy bay Mỹ bung thân trên không - 1 — The fuselage was blown off in the air, leaving a large hole (Photo: NBC).

In a statement released on January 9, Boeing CEO David Calhoun acknowledged the company's mistakes following the incident of an Alaska Airlines plane that disintegrated last weekend. He also said Boeing would work with relevant parties to ensure this incident "never happens again."

Reuters said the statement was Boeing's first public admission of error since the incident.

According to a transcript of a Boeing all-staff meeting obtained by CNN , Calhoun said the company would approach the issue with full transparency and cooperate with the investigation to determine what the real cause was.

However, Mr. Calhoun has not yet raised any specific questions regarding the cause of the incident.

On January 5, an Alaska Airlines Boeing 737 MAX 9 carrying 177 people made an emergency landing shortly after takeoff from Portland, Oregon, when part of the fuselage blew off in the air, leaving a large hole in the passenger seats. No one was sucked out and no casualties were reported.

On January 6, the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) temporarily grounded most Boeing 737 MAX 9 aircraft while regulators and Boeing investigated the cause of the incident. The order applies to about 171 aircraft worldwide .

Boeing pledged to work with the FAA to ensure proper investigations. The FAA said on January 9 that its inspection plan for Boeing’s 737 MAX 9 planes would need to be revised and the planes would remain grounded.

The incident has drawn the attention of lawmakers. In a statement on January 9, Senator JD Vance called on the Senate Commerce Committee to convene a hearing to “evaluate the incidents involving the 737 MAX, Boeing’s safety and engineering standards, and the quality of oversight provided by the FAA and other relevant government agencies.”

Exactly what caused a refrigerator-sized hole to suddenly appear in the passenger plane is still under investigation. National Transportation Safety Board spokesman Eric Weiss said a preliminary report is expected in three to four weeks.

Previously, United Airlines - the airline with the most MAX 9 aircraft in the US - said it had discovered some loose bolts on some Boeing 737 MAX 9 aircraft when inspecting the aircraft as required by the FAA. Alaska Airlines also announced on January 8 that it had discovered some loose parts on 737 MAX9 aircraft during inspections.

In a separate meeting, Boeing told employees that the discovery of loose bolts on the plane was being treated as a "quality control issue" and that inspections were underway at Boeing as well as supplier Spirit Aerosystems (SPR.N).

Boeing has asked factories and suppliers to ensure such issues are addressed, and is conducting broader checks on systems and processes, according to a source.

The weekend incident continues to cast a shadow over Boeing, which has faced a series of safety and quality issues with its aircraft over the past five years, leading to long-term groundings of some of its jets and halting deliveries of some.