LISTEN: Boeing 737 Factory Suffered from Severe Morale and Turnover Problems Prior to Blowout

On January 5, 2024, a door plug blew out of an Alaska Airlines flight some 16,000 feet above Oregon, causing chaos among the crew and incredible fear for the passengers. The problem was traced back to quality issues after the plane departed Boeing's factory in Renton, Washington, missing the four bolts that hold the door plug in place. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has released some 3,000 pages of documents about the accident, but questions remained about what happened on the manufacturing floor. Boeing blamed supplier incompetence and pointed fingers at Spirit AeroSystems, which it has since acquired for some $8.3 billion. Still, the incident was just another straw on Boeing's back, causing what has been called a "crisis of competence."