WASHINGTON, June 24, 2025 – The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has determined that Boeing’s “failure to provide adequate training, guidance and oversight” was the probable cause of a mid-exit door (MED) plug blowout on an Alaska Airlines Boeing 737‑9 MAX 9, Flight 1282, on January 5, 2024 .
The NTSB highlighted systemic lapses, stating Boeing’s voluntary safety management system was “inadequate, lacked formal FAA oversight, and did not proactively identify and mitigate risks”. They also found the Federal Aviation Administration’s oversight ineffective in addressing “repetitive and systemic” nonconformance in Boeing’s parts removal process.
The incident occurred shortly after the aircraft departed Portland, Oregon. Eleven minutes into the flight at 14,830 feet, the left MED plug separated, causing rapid depressurization. Passengers’ belongings were expelled, oxygen masks deployed, and a flight attendant was injured when the cockpit door swung open. Seven passengers sustained minor injuries; the remainder of the crew and passengers were unharmed.
NTSB Chair Jennifer Homendy emphasized the severity of the oversight failures:
“This time, it was missing bolts securing the MED plug. But the same safety deficiencies … could just as easily have led to other manufacturing quality escapes and, perhaps, other accidents.”
Investigators recovered the door plug in a Portland neighborhood and confirmed that none of the required bolts were installed. Over previous flight cycles, the unsecured plug had shifted before finally departing during Flight 1282.
Boeing had performed fuselage rivet repairs in Renton, Washington, in September 2023. However, the plug was closed the next day without specialized technicians, and no quality assurance inspection took place—violating Boeing’s process requirements.
The NTSB also issued safety recommendations to Boeing and the FAA, and reiterated previously issued recommendations to industry groups and carriers. The full executive summary and report will be published on the NTSB’s website in the coming weeks.
Source: National Transportation Safety Board press release, June 24, 2025
Image credit: National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), public domain.
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