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boeing (NYSE: B.S) has faced another hurdle in the ongoing investigation into the blown door seal of Alaska Airlines Flight 1282, as the National Transportation Safety Board has imposed sanctions on the plane’s maker over statements it made at a recent news conference.
National Transportation Safety Board statement response to boeing (Bachelor’s) to release non-public details about its ongoing investigations at a briefing held on Tuesday. It said the company “flagrantly violated the NTSB’s investigative regulations” and “the party agreement that Boeing signed with the NTSB.”
The regulator says a Boeing (BA) executive shared details of the investigation and speculated on possible causes of the January accident, in which a door seal on a Boeing 737 MAX 9 operated by Alaskan Airlines blew shortly after takeoff.
The NTSB said: “In the briefing, Boeing portrayed the NTSB’s investigation as a search to determine the person responsible for the door seal’s operation. Instead, the NTSB is focusing on the probable cause of the accident, not assigning blame to any individual or assessing liability.”
“As a party to numerous NTSB investigations over the past decades, there are few entities that know the rules better than Boeing,” she added.
Due to the airline’s actions, the National Transportation Safety Board has decided to restrict Boeing’s access to investigative information produced during its investigation. It will also subpoena Boeing (BA) for a hearing in early August and “unlike other parties to the hearing, Boeing will not be permitted to ask questions of other participants.”
Importantly, the NTSB will also refer violations committed by Boeing (BA) to the Department of Justice. The Justice Department must decide whether to prosecute the company by July 7, but reports have indicated there is pressure to bring criminal charges even as the two sides negotiate a potential resolution. Boeing (BA) has not yet responded to the NTSB’s latest action.