Boeing has disclosed to Congress that it is unable to locate crucial records related to a door panel incident on an Alaska Airlines flight over Oregon. The revelation came in a letter addressed to Sen. Maria Cantwell, wherein Boeing's executive vice president and chief government lobbyist, Ziad Ojakli, acknowledged the absence of documentation regarding the panel's removal and reinstallation on the 737 MAX final assembly line in Renton, Washington.

The letter, reported by The Seattle Times, follows a heated Senate committee hearing where Boeing and the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) clashed over the company's cooperation with investigators. The NTSB chair, Jennifer Homendy, expressed frustration over Boeing's repeated failure to provide essential information about the repair job, raising concerns about quality assurance and safety management systems.

Boeing's response to Cantwell's inquiry stressed that the company had previously conveyed its inability to locate the documentation to the safety board. The incident, which occurred on January 5, involved the detachment of a door panel from an Alaska Airlines Max 9 aircraft, fortunately resulting in no injuries.

As investigations continue, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has given Boeing 90 days to address quality-control issues highlighted by the agency and an expert panel. The scrutiny comes amid ongoing concerns about Boeing's safety culture following the crashes of two Max 8 jets in 2018 and 2019, resulting in the loss of 346 lives.

The inability to locate critical work records underscores the challenges Boeing faces in ensuring transparency and accountability in its operations, prompting further scrutiny from regulators and lawmakers alike.

(With AP inputs)