Boeing Jet Showed Signs of Panel Shift Before Alaska Air Mishap

The panel that blew off a Boeing Co. jet during an Alaska Airlines flight last month showed signs that it had moved on flights prior to the accident, a US senator briefed on the investigation said Thursday.

Senator Maria Cantwell, the Democrat who heads the Commerce Committee, said National Transportation Safety Board investigators found marks on the panel indicating it had shifted prior to breaking loose on a Jan. 5 flight over Portland. Cantwell, who is from Washington where the Max 9 jet was built, was briefed by NTSB earlier this week.