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This has been a tumultuous year for Boeing, beginning with a depressurization incident on Alaska Airlines flight 1282 in which a door plug was blown off of a 737 MAX 9 at 16,000 feet and now numerous incidents on United flights are keeping the public's eye on the company. With agencies like the FAA and NTSB calling out the company for poor quality control and lack of cooperation in an ongoing investigation, Boeing's 2024 is off to a rough start.
FAA audit
In early March the FAA completed its six-week audit of Boeing and Spirit AeroSystems, finding numerous instances in which both companies failed to comply with manufacturing quality control requirements. The audit was launched in response to the door plug blowout, one of many actions taken after the near-catastrophic incident. The FAA also said that Administrator Mike Whitaker told Boeing's CEO, Dave Calhoun, and other company leaders that Boeing must address the findings as part of a comprehensive action plan to fix systemic quality control issues. The new plan must also address the findings from a recent expert review panel report on Boeing's safety culture, stemming from the two 737 MAX crashes in 2018 and 2019 that killed 346 individuals.
The expert panel began its review of Boeing's safety management processes and their effectiveness on March 1, 2023, formed under the Aircraft Certification, Safety and Accountability Act passed in 2020 after the two 737 MAX crashes. The panel identified 27 findings and 53 associated recommendations based on over 4,000 pages of Boeing documents, multiple surveys and over 250 interviews and employee meetings. The panel said there was a disconnect between Boeing's senior management and the other members of the organization, observing "inadequate and confusing implementation of the five components of positive safety culture."RELATED STORIES:FAA says Boeing, Spirit Aerosystems failed quality control in 'multiple instances'FAA panel calls Boeing safety culture 'inadequate and confusing'
The New York Times reported that the FAA's recent audit of the 737 MAX production process failed 33 of 89 tests, with a total of 97 instances of alleged noncompliance. The FAA also conducted 13 product audits for Spirit, which makes the fuselage of the 737 MAX, and six passed while seven failed. The NY Times reported that during the examination, mechanics at Spirit were observed using a hotel key card to check a door seal, an action which was "not identified/documented/call-out in the production order." In another instance, the FAA saw Spirit mechanics apply liquid Dawn soap to a door seal as a lubricant and then clean the seal with a wet cheesecloth. The New York Times reported that the document noted that instructions were "vague and unclear on what specifications/actions are to be followed or recorded by the mechanic."
The plan expected at the end of the 90-day deadline should require steps to mature the Safety Management System program that Boeing committed to in 2019. Boeing must also integrate its SMS program with a Quality Management System to ensure that the same level of rigor and oversight is applied to Boeing suppliers and to create a measuring, systemic shift in manufacturing quality control.
"Boeing must take a fresh look at every aspect of their quality-control process and ensure that safety is the company's guiding principle," Whitaker said.
Spirit, which was sold by Boeing in 2005, has been running independently for nearly 20 years. The two companies confirmed ongoing discussions for an acquisition, bringing Spirit back under the Boeing umbrella.
"We have been working closely with Spirit AeroSystems and its leadership to strengthen the quality of the commercial airplanes that we build together," Boeing said in a statement. "We confirm that our collaboration has resulted in preliminary discussions about making Spirit AeroSystems a part of Boeing again. We believe that the reintegration of Boeing and Spirit AeroSystems' manufacturing operations would further strengthen aviation safety, improve quality and serve the interests of our customers, employees, and shareholders. Although there can be no assurance that we will be able to reach an agreement, we are committed to finding ways to continue to improve the safety and quality of the airplanes on which millions of people depend each and every day."
NTSB speaks out
The NTSB released its preliminary report on the Jan. 5 incident in February, reporting that the bolts required to hold the door plug in place were missing before it blew off midflight. The report said that the plane was delivered to Alaska Airlines on Oct. 31, 2023 and put into service on Nov. 11. The MED plug was manufactured by Spirit AeroSystems Malaysia on March 24, 2023 and received by Spirit AeroSystems Wichita on May 10. The plug was installed and rigged onto the fuselage and shipped to Boeing on Aug. 20, arriving at the facility on Aug. 31. Investigators found that a Non-Conformance Record was filed for the plane on Sept. 1, noting five damaged rivets on the edge frame forward of the left MED plug. To access these rivets, the plug would need to be opened, requiring the removal of the bolts. Photos showed that the plug was closed without the bolts in three visible locations, with one covered by insulation and visible in the photo. There was no evidence the door plug was opened after leaving Boeing's facility.
NTSB Chair Jennifer Homendy testified before the U.S. Senate's Commerce, Science andamp; Transportation Committee to discuss ongoing investigations and activities, including the Boeing door plug incident. When asked by Senator Maria Cantwell whether the NTSB was able to get the specific procedures and forms from Boeing necessary to the investigation, Homendy revealed they had not been given what was asked for.
"Does the fact that Boeing has not produced these documents or that NTSB investigators have not been able to retrieve them indicate that they do not exist or ever existed?" Cantwell asked Homendy.
"They may not," Homendy responded. "There are two options. Either they exist, and we don't have them, or they do not exist, which raises two very different questions -- several different questions depending on which one is the right answer."RELATED STORY:Boeing 737 MAX 9 was missing bolts before depressurization eventHomendy said that without this information, it raises concerns about quality assurance, quality management and safety management systems within Boeing. She noted that the FAA has been cooperative and helpful throughout the investigation. She told Cantwell that the names and information about the workers from the shift in which the door plug was installed had been withheld.
"We have gone through emails, we've gone through texts, we've looked at pictures to begin to get a picture of the date in mid-September, the two dates in mid-September that we believe the work occurred," Homendy said. "We haven't received that information directly from Boeing. We also believe we know what shift it occurred on. But still, there is one team, one team that deals with the doors of 25 people. Why we don't have those names today, two months later, is really disappointing."
Homendy also said that it becomes a concern when employees and others do not feel safe to talk to the NTSB. Cantwell sent a letter to Calhoun on March 6, demanding that Boeing provide the NTSB with the requested information, including the door plug removal and reinstallation and the names of the 25 people assigned to the door plug team within 48 hours. Boeing issued a statement the same day, saying they respected the NTSB and that since the January incident, the company has been transparent and fully supported the investigation. Boeing said that early on they provided the NTSB with the names of Boeing employees, including door specialists, that may have relevant information. Boeing said it provided the full list of individuals on the 737 door team in response to the request.
AP News reported that the Department of Justice launched a criminal investigation into the Boeing door plug blowout.
Commercial incidents
Following the door plug blowout, Boeing planes have had a series of highly publicized problems, mechanical or otherwise. Multiple planes have had engine fires, including a recent incident recorded by a passenger after an engine that ingested bubblewrap caught fire midair. Another flight lost a tire after takeoff on Thursday, and on Friday a United Airlines plane skidded off the runway, according to CNN. Most recently, a 777-300 carrying 183 passengers and crew was redirected due to a maintenance issue nearly two hours into a 14-hour flight to San Francisco from Sydney. United also had a reported hydraulic system issue on an Airbus A320.
Boeing whistleblower dies
The BBC reported that John Barnett, a 32-year Boeing employee and whistleblower was found dead from a reported self-inflicted wound on March 9. In the days leading up to his death, Barnett had been giving evidence in a whistleblower lawsuit against Boeing. Boeing told the BBC it was saddened to hear of Barnett's death. Barnett told the BBC in 2019 that the workers were ordered to fit sub-standard parts on the aircraft in the production line, as well as problems with the oxygen systems which would result in one in four breathing masks not working in an emergency.
After retiring from Boeing in 2017, the BBC said Barnett embarked on a years-long legal battle against the company. At the time of his death, Barnett was in Charleston for legal interviews involving the case and last week he gave a formal deposition in which he was questioned by Boeing's lawyers. The BBC said Barnett was due to appear for further questioning but when he did not appear, he was found dead in his truck in the hotel parking lot. The police are reportedly investigating.
The problems with Boeing have been highly scrutinized by the public in 2024, some stemming from issues years ago that are now bubbling to the surface.