Full timeline of Boeing problems in 2024 as second whistleblower dies trends now

Boeing has had a torrid start to 2024 including two whistleblowers who were raising issues about the company dying suddenly.

The first of those, John Barnett, took his own life just days after testifying against the aircraft giant.

However, as well as legal issues on the ground, their planes themselves have been plagued by problems in the air.

A string of flights have experienced issues of varying severity with each adding to a sense of chaos around the company.

Find a full timeline of Boeing's difficult 2024 below.

January 5

On January 5, Alaska Airlines Flight 1282 - a Boeing 737 Max 9 - lost a door plug at 16,000 feet on a flight from Portland, Oregon, to Ontario, California.

That part is designed to replace an unneeded emergency exit door, and it blew out within just 20 minutes of takeoff. 

An emergency landing was required and the plane landed safely, but a teddy bear, two mobile phones, a seat headrest and a 15-year-old passenger’s t-shirt. 

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) grounded 171 of the 737 Max 9s in the aftermath and six of the flight's passengers went on to sue the airline.

Alaska Airlines and United Airlines also went on to find loose parts on their grounded jets' door plugs.

January 16

An anonymous whistleblower broke rank to say that the door plug blowout 'was Boeing's fault', rather than its supplier Spirit AeroSystems.

First reported by The Seattle Times, they claimed the fuselage panel was removed for repair then reinstalled improperly at its Washington factory

'The reason the door blew off is stated in black and white in Boeings own records,' they wrote on aviation site Leeham News.

'It is also very, very stupid and speaks volumes about the quality culture at certain portions of the business.'

February 6

A National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) report said that the January 5 incident was down to four crucial bolds being missing from the panel which blew out.

February 21

Boeing's 737 Max program chief, Ed Clark, was reportedly fired in a structural shakeup at the company.

Clark was also general manager at the company's Renton, Washington, facility and had been at Boeing for 18 years. 

He was replaced by Katie Ringgold, while a 'senior vice president of quality' role was created too.

March 3

A United Airlines Boeing 737 Max 8 veered off the runway after landing in Houston due to some sort of gear collapse.

Shocking footage showed the plane lying flat on its wings on grass by the side of the runway, while passengers were hurried off from an emergency gate ladder. 

March 4

An audit by the FAA of both Boeing and Spirit AeroSystems 'found multiple instances where the companies allegedly failed to comply with manufacturing quality control requirements'.

March 6

The head of the NTSB accused Boeing of 'not cooperating' with its investigation into the January incident. 

Jennifer Homendy said investigators sought the names of the 25 people who work on door plugs at the Renton facility, but had not received them from Boeing.

She told a Senate Committee hearing 'it is absurd that two months later we don't have it'.

However, Boeing spokesperson Connor Greenwood pushed back and insisted that names of employees were provided 'early in the investigation'.

The same day, a 737's engine caught fire in mid-air above Texas, causing an emergency landing  minutes into its journey to Fort Myers, Florida. 

March 7

A wheel fell off a Boeing 777-200 shortly after takeoff from San Francisco, crushing cars below. 

The plane with 235 passengers and 14 crew diverted to Los Angeles Airport after it was alerted to the landing gear failure and landed safely with no further incident and no

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