Head of Boeing’s 737 Max program out after midair blowout
Boeing 737 Max 9 incident Alaska Airlines Flight 1282, a Boeing 737 Max 9, can be seen on Jan. 7, 2024, as the National Transportation Safety Board investigates an incident that left the plane with a gaping hole in its fuselage. (National Transportation Safety Board)
ByTheresa Seiger, Cox Media Group National Content Desk
The head of Boeing’s 737 Max program has left the company amid scrutiny of its safety procedures following an incident that left one of its planes with a gaping hole in its fuselage midflight last month.
In a memo reviewed by Reuters, Boeing announced that Clark had left his position. Katie Ringgold will succeed him as vice president and general manager, according to the news agency.
Though the 737 Max is Boeing’s bestselling plane, it has also been plagued with issues over the last five years, according to CNN.
On Jan. 5, Alaska Airlines Flight 1282 was forced to make an emergency landing in Portland, Oregon, after a door plug came off the jetliner — a Boeing 737 Max 9 — as it was ascending for a trip to California. The panel blew off the plane and landed below, in the Portland area, along with two cellphones that has been onboard.
Boeing 737 planes were also grounded for 20 months in 2019 and 2020 after a pair of crashes killed nearly 350 people, CNN reported.
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NTSB investigates after door plug blown off Alaska Airlines Flight 1282 In this National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) handout, oxygen masks hang from the fuselage as members of the NTSB examine Alaska Airlines Flight 1282, a Boeing 737 Max 9, on Saturday, Jan. 7, 2024 in Portland, Oregon. A door-sized section near the rear of the plane blew off 10 minutes after Alaska Airlines Flight 1282 took off from Portland, Oregon on January 5 on its way to Ontario, California. (Handout/NTSB via Getty Images)
NTSB investigates after door plug blown off Alaska Airlines Flight 1282 In this National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) handout, plastic covers the exterior of the fuselage plug area of Alaska Airlines Flight 1282, a Boeing 737 Max 9, on Saturday, Jan. 7, 2024 in Portland, Oregon. A door-sized section near the rear of the plane blew off 10 minutes after Alaska Airlines Flight 1282 took off from Portland, Oregon on January 5 on its way to Ontario, California. (Handout/NTSB via Getty Images)
NTSB investigates after door plug blown off Alaska Airlines Flight 1282 In this National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) handout, an opening is seen in the fuselage of Alaska Airlines Flight 1282, a Boeing 737 Max 9, on Saturday, Jan. 7, 2024, in Portland, Oregon. A door-sized section near the rear of the plane blew off 10 minutes after Alaska Airlines Flight 1282 took off from Portland, Oregon on January 5 on its way to Ontario, California. (Handout/NTSB via Getty Images)
NTSB investigates after door plug blown off Alaska Airlines Flight 1282 In this National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) handout, members of the NTSB examine the hole in the fuselage plug area of Alaska Airlines Flight 1282, a Boeing 737 Max 9, on Saturday, Jan. 7, 2024 in Portland, Oregon. A door-sized section near the rear of the plane blew off 10 minutes after Alaska Airlines Flight 1282 took off from Portland, Oregon on January 5 on its way to Ontario, California. (Handout/NTSB via Getty Images)
NTSB investigates after door plug blown off Alaska Airlines Flight 1282 In this National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) handout, an opening is seen in the fuselage of Alaska Airlines Flight 1282, a Boeing 737 Max 9, on Saturday, Jan. 7, 2024, in Portland, Oregon. A door-sized section near the rear of the plane blew off 10 minutes after Alaska Airlines Flight 1282 took off from Portland, Oregon on January 5 on its way to Ontario, California. (Handout/NTSB via Getty Images)
NTSB investigates after door plug blown off Alaska Airlines Flight 1282 In this National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) handout, members of the NTSB examine the hole in the fuselage plug area of Alaska Airlines Flight 1282, a Boeing 737 Max 9, on Saturday, Jan. 7, 2024 in Portland, Oregon. A door-sized section near the rear of the plane blew off 10 minutes after Alaska Airlines Flight 1282 took off from Portland, Oregon on January 5 on its way to Ontario, California. (Handout/NTSB via Getty Images)
NTSB investigates after door plug blown off Alaska Airlines Flight 1282 In this National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) handout, a member of the NTSB examines a hole left in the fuselage of Alaska Airlines Flight 1282 on Saturday, Jan. 7, 2024, in Portland, Oregon after a door plug was blown off midflight. (NTSB)
NTSB investigates after door plug blown off Alaska Airlines Flight 1282 In this National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) handout, plastic covers the exterior of the fuselage plug area of Alaska Airlines Flight 1282, a Boeing 737 Max 9, on Saturday, Jan. 7, 2024 in Portland, Oregon. A door-sized section near the rear of the plane blew off 10 minutes after Alaska Airlines Flight 1282 took off from Portland, Oregon on January 5 on its way to Ontario, California. (Handout/NTSB via Getty Images)
NTSB investigates after door plug blown off Alaska Airlines Flight 1282 In this National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) handout, plastic covers the exterior of the fuselage plug area of Alaska Airlines Flight 1282, a Boeing 737 Max 9, on Saturday, Jan. 7, 2024, in Portland, Oregon. A door-sized section near the rear of the plane blew off 10 minutes after Alaska Airlines Flight 1282 took off from Portland, Oregon on January 5 on its way to Ontario, California. (Handout/NTSB via Getty Images)
NTSB investigates after door plug blown off Alaska Airlines Flight 1282 In this National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) handout, members of the NTSB speak in the cockpit while examining Alaska Airlines Flight 1282, a Boeing 737 Max 9, on Saturday, Jan. 7, 2024, in Portland, Oregon. A door-sized section near the rear of the plane blew off 10 minutes after Alaska Airlines Flight 1282 took off from Portland, Oregon on January 5 on its way to Ontario, California. (Handout/NTSB via Getty Images)
NTSB investigates after door plug blown off Alaska Airlines Flight 1282 In this National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) handout, plastic covers the exterior of the fuselage plug area of Alaska Airlines Flight 1282, a Boeing 737 Max 9 on Saturday, Jan. 7, 2024, in Portland, Oregon. A door-sized section near the rear of the plane blew off 10 minutes after Alaska Airlines Flight 1282 took off from Portland, Oregon on January 5 on its way to Ontario, California. (Photo by NTSB via Getty Images) (Handout/NTSB via Getty Images)
NTSB investigates after door plug blown off Alaska Airlines Flight 1282 In this National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) handout, a door plug found near Portland, Oregon after it fell from Alaska Airlines Flight 1282 midflight on Friday, Jan. 5, 2024, can be seen. (NTSB)
NTSB investigates after door plug blown off Alaska Airlines Flight 1282 In this National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) handout, investigators can be seen inspecting a door plug found near Portland, Oregon after it fell from Alaska Airlines Flight 1282 midflight on Friday, Jan. 5, 2024. (NTSB)
NTSB investigates after door plug blown off Alaska Airlines Flight 1282 In this National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) handout, investigators can be seen inspecting a door plug found near Portland, Oregon after it fell from Alaska Airlines Flight 1282 midflight on Friday, Jan. 5, 2024. (NTSB)
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