The White House says it fired an NTSB board member for serious misconduct, and he says the claims are false. President Donald Trump's administration on Monday accused Todd Inman of drinking on the job, harassing staff, misusing government resources, and skipping many meetings. Inman says he denies the allegations and plans to defend his reputation in court. Inman is a Republican appointed during former President Joe Biden's administration. The NTSB has declined to comment on Inman's dismissal. The agency now lists only three members, though the U.S. Senate has confirmed an American Airlines executive to join. The NTSB is investigating over 1,000 cases and will issue safety recommendations when it releases its final reports.
The National Transportation Safety Board chairwoman says heroic actions by the crew aboard an Alaska Airlines flight ensured everyone survived last year when the door plug panel blew out of the plane. But Jennifer Homendy said Tuesday that the incident never should have happened. She says Boeing and the Federal Aviation Administration could have done more to ensure the safety of the Boeing 737 Max. The NTSB had already revealed that bolts were never replaced after the door plug was removed during a repair. Homendy now says Boeing's new CEO has made many safety improvements since last summer, but that more needs to be done.
By SHONAL GANGULY, RAJESH ROY and AIJAZ HUSSAIN Associated Press
Updated
Indian investigators have recovered the digital flight data recorder or the black box of the Air India flight that crashed a day earlier. The crash on Thursday killed 241 people on board and at least five people on the ground. Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu said that the black box recovery Friday marks an important step forward in the investigation. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has met with the lone surviving passenger of the London-bound Boeing 787 that struck a medical college hostel when it crashed into a residential area of the northwestern city of Ahmedabad minutes after takeoff. DNA testing was being conducted to identify the victims. More bodies are expected to be found in the search at the crash site.
By DAVID KOENIG and WYATTE GRANTHAM-PHILIPS AP Business Writers
Boeing factory workers say they were pressured to work too fast and asked to perform jobs that they weren't qualified for, including opening and closing the door plug that later blew off an Alaska Airlines jet. Those accounts from inside the company were disclosed Tuesday, as federal investigators opened a two-day hearing into the blowout, which further tarnished Boeing's safety reputation and left it facing new legal jeopardy. A Boeing door installer said he was never told to take any shortcuts but everyone faced pressure to keep the assembly line moving.
