A panel that blew off a Boeing jet will get star billing during a Washington hearing

A panel that blew off a Boeing 737 Max during an Alaska Airlines flight will be a key part of a two-day investigative hearing set for next week. Federal investigators have been examining the mid exit door plug since not long after it blew off during a Jan. 5 flight, when the plane was at 16,000 feet. It was discovered in the backyard of a home near Portland, Oregon. National Transportation Safety Board personnel displayed the panel for the media on Tuesday at the NTSB’s laboratory in Washington, D.C. A preliminary report found that four bolts used to help secure the part were missing when the plane rolled out of a Boeing factory near Seattle.