‘Alaska Air Flight Inquiry on High Alert: NTSB Chair Warns of High Stakes’

The stakes are high in the inquiry into what exactly happened in the crash of the Alaska Air Flight. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is now involved in the investigation and chair Robert Sumwalt says that the inquiry is a complex and difficult one that will require in-depth analysis to solve. The crash occurred on March 14th when an Alaska Airlines 737 Max 8 crashed shortly after take-off in Anchorage, Alaska. All 233 people on board were sadly killed. As part of the NTSB investigation into the crash, they have collected data from the Flight Data Recorder and Cockpit Voice Recorder, as well as any relevant records and maintenance logs from the airline. Their inquiry is focused on airworthiness and human factors. “We need to understand why this aircraft terminated flight suddenly and with such a tragic result so that we can prevent similar accidents from occurring in the future and protect human life,” said Sumwalt. Investigators are analyzing the aircraft’s automated stall-protection system, this is an automatic system installed in some Boeing aircraft intended to prevent an aerodynamic stall. They will also be looking into how the pilots responded to the situation and what communication was going on in the cockpit, to identify any possible human factors at play that may have encouraged or allowed the crash to happen. The NTSB is working with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), Boeing, and other international agencies to conduct a thorough investigation. The investigation is expected to take at least a year before any conclusions can be reached. In light of the recent incident, many travelers are anxious about the safety of air travel and relying on Boeing aircraft. Airlines are now working to assure their customers of the safety of their fleets; however, Sumwalt stresses that airlines need to stay vigilant and remain committed to safety. The NTSB is doing all it can to ensure the investigation into the Alaska Air Flight will reach its goal of understanding the cause and preventing similar accidents from occurring in the future. Until the investigation is complete, the fate of the airline remains uncertain and the stakes are undoubtedly high.