The chair of the National Transportation Safety Board told lawmakers Wednesday that the investigation into what caused part of an Alaska Airlines plane to fly off in midflight, leaving a gaping hole in the jetliner's fuselage, could be stalled in the event of a government shutdown.
"A lapse in funding would dramatically hinder our ability to begin, continue, and complete accident and incident investigations and timely issue relevant safety recommendations, potentially including those that may result from the NTSB's investigation of the Alaska Airlines 1282 accident," board Chairwoman Jennifer Homendy wrote in a letter to Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., head of the Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee.
Homendy noted that the agency currently has more than 1,200 open investigations, in addition to the high profile probe into what caused the door plug of a Boeing 737 Max 9 aircraft to be ejected shortly after the flight took off from Portland International Airport on Jan. 5. The agency also is investigating last year's derailment of a Norfolk Southern Railway train in East Palestine, Ohio, that led to fires and the release of hazardous materials, and numerous near-miss incidents involving commercial and private aircraft.
While "emergency-essential" activities could continue in the event of a funding lapse, Homendy said National Transportation Safety Board staff has determined that because the Federal Aviation Administration has grounded the Boeing 737 Max 9 jets, there is no imminent threat to safety that would justify the continuation of the investigation. If the board were to continue its work, it could be found in violation of the law, she noted.
She said the lapse in funding could temporarily delay investigations, but an extended shutdown could force the agency to "preclude entire investigations."
"Many investigations with national safety relevance may not be undertaken or completed and any resulting safety recommendations potentially foregone," she added. "Other critical work such as assistance to families of victims, safety studies, or advocacy efforts would be delayed or canceled depending on the timing and length of a lapse."