Boeing CEO Admits "Mistake" After 737 Max Door Blowout Incident

Boeing Co. Chief Executive Officer Dave Calhoun admitted the planemaker made a "mistake" after a door plug on Alaska Airlines 737 Max 9 separated from the plane 16,000 feet over Portland last week, Bloomberg reports. 

"We're going to approach this — No. 1 — acknowledging our mistake," Calhoun told employees at an all-hands meeting at the 737 Max factory in Renton, Washington. "We're going to approach it with 100% and complete transparency every step of the way."

Hours after the Alaska Airlines Flight 1282 incident on Friday evening, the Federal Aviation Administration grounded 171 737-9 Max aircraft for inspections. Loosebolts were found on a handful of the planes operated by Alaska Air and United Airlines. 

"When I got that picture [of the Alaska Airlines 737 Max 9], all I could think about — I didn't know what happened [to] whoever was supposed to be in the seat next to that hole in the airplane," Calhoun told staff, adding, "I've got kids, I've got grandkids and so do you. This stuff matters. Every detail matters."

Luckily, no one on Flight 1282 was sitting at 26A, the seat next to the door that blew out. This could've been an even more giant shitstorm for Boeing as the incident has reminded everyone about the two Max crashes several years ago that killed more than 300 people. 

Calhoun pointed out Boeing is at a "very anxious moment" and requires corporate transparency "to make sure they [customers] understand that every airplane that Boeing has its name on that's in the sky is in fact safe." 

Let's remember this. 

As a reminder, the 737 Max was "designed by clowns who in turn are supervised by monkeys".https://t.co/Z5rt2LoI3e

— zerohedge (@zerohedge) January 6, 2024

We're sure Boeing execs are not thrilled with more than the 9% share plunge following the incident. 

Meanwhile, Boeing's largest customers - Ryanair Holdings Plc's Michael O'Leary and Emirates' Tim Clark in Dubai - have publicly requested Boeing to raise manufacturing standards as a string of defects on Max planes continues to ruin the planemaker's reputation.