Boeing CEO Admits Mistake Over 737 MAX Door Blow-out

(RTTNews) - Boeing (BA) CEO Dave Calhoun on Tuesday acknowledged that it was the company's mistake after a door panel on one of its 737 Max 9 blew out shortly after take-off.

No one was injured when the unused cabin door broke away from the Alaska Airlines flight from Portland, Oregon on Friday. The Federal Aviation Administration grounded the 737 Max 9s less than a day after the incident on Alaska Airlines Flight 1282 so the jets could be inspected. The more common 737 Max 8 was not affected.

The missing section of the plane was retrieved from the back garden of a Portland teacher, according to the US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB).

"We're going to approach this, number one, acknowledging our mistake," Calhoun told employees, according to an excerpt released by Boeing. "We're going to approach it with 100% and complete transparency every step of the way."

"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 said. "I've got kids, I've got grandkids and so do you. This stuff matters. Every detail matters."

No one was seated in 26A on the flight, which was next to the panel that blew out, saving passengers from a possible tragedy.

Alaska Airlines and United Airlines, the two U.S. carriers that use the 737 Max ps, have found loose parts on similar aircraft, which has raised fears that such an incident can occur again.