FAA stops 737 MAX production expansion, allows eligible planes to return to service

?Photo of Boeing 737 MAX from BoeingThe FAA has suspended any expansion to the Boeing 737 MAX production line while allowing the planes that pass inspection to return to service. On Wednesday the FAA took an additional step in ensuring the 737 MAX line's safe return to service, announcing that it would not grant any production expansion for the MAX, including the 737-9 MAX. This decision follows the agency's choice to launch an investigation into Boeing production and operations and a ramp-up of oversight for Boeing and its suppliers. The agency has been vocal in its response to the recent in-flight incident. On Jan. 5 on an Alaska Airlines flight, a door plug was blown from a 737-9 MAX at 16,000 feet. With numerous updates to the situation and ongoing investigation and maintenance, the FAA has reiterated that an incident like this must never happen again.RELATED STORIES:Boeing CEO admits 'mistake' as FAA launches safety probeLatest on 737 MAX 9 Alaska Airlines emergency - aircraft had prior issues before panel ripped off mid-flight "We grounded the Boeing 737-9 MAX within hours of the incident over Portland and made clear this aircraft would not go back into service until it was safe," FAA Administrator Mike Whitaker said. "The exhaustive, enhanced review our team completed after several weeks of information gathering gives me and the FAA confidence to proceed to the inspection and maintenance phase." "However, let me be clear: This won't be back to business as usual for Boeing," he said. "We will not agree to any request from Boeing for an expansion in production or approve additional production lines for the 737 MAX until we are satisfied that the quality control issues uncovered during this process are resolved." After the Alaska Airlines incident, the FAA temporarily grounded the MAX 9 model and issued an emergency AD. On Jan. 11 the FAA formally notified Boeing that it was investigating to determine whether Boeing failed to ensure that completed products conformed to the approved design, were in a condition safe for operation and in compliance with FAA regulations. Every 737-9 MAX will remain grounded until the FAA finds that each is ready to return to operation. Boeing CEO Dave Calhoun told CNBC there was a "quality escape" that led to the near-tragic incident. One day later the FAA launched its investigation. On Jan. 12, following the launch of a safety probe into Boeing, the FAA announced it was increasing its oversight of the company's production and manufacturing. This included an audit of the MAX production line and suppliers, increased monitoring of in-service events and an assessment of safety risks around delegated authority and quality oversight. "It is time to re-examine the delegation of authority and assess any associated safety risks," Whitaker said. "The grounding of the 737-9 and the multiple production-related issues identified in recent years require us to look at every option to reduce risk. The FAA is exploring the use of an independent third party to oversee Boeing's inspections and its quality system." The FAA approved a detailed set of inspection and maintenance instructions after reviewing data from 40 inspections of grounded planes. A Corrective Action Review Board was convened, made up of safety experts to scrutinize and approve the inspection process. After completing the enhanced maintenance and inspection process the door plugs will comply with the original design and deemed safe to operate. An enhanced maintenance process will include the inspection of specific bolts, guide tracks and fittings; a detailed visual inspection of left and right mid-cabin exit door plugs and many associated components; retorquing fasteners and correcting any damage or conditions. "The quality assurance issues we have seen are unacceptable," Whitaker said. "That is why we will have more boots on the ground closely scrutinizing and monitoring production and manufacturing activities." Boeing said on Jan. 15 it would be taking immediate action to bolster quality assurance and controls in 737 production. "As we continue to respond to the Alaska Airlines Flight 1282 accident, our team has been working with the five affected airlines to inspect their 737-9 fleet," Boeing Commercial Airplanes President and CEO Stan Deal said. "They have been examining and collecting measurements around the mid-exit door plugs to ensure they are installed per specifications. While we complete these tasks to earn Federal Aviation Administration approval to unground the affected 737-9s, our team is also taking a hard look at our quality practices in our factories and across our production system." The update said the company would plan additional inspections throughout the building process at Boeing and Spirit AeroSystems, plan quality sessions with teams, deploy a team to work alongside Spirit to review work on the ground, open factories for additional oversight and bring in an outside party for a thorough review. On Jan. 17 Boeing and Spirit held an employee town hall to talk about the incident and how to improve. "We're going to get better, not because the two of us are talking, but because the engineers at Boeing, the mechanics at Boeing, the inspectors at Boeing, the engineers at Spirit, the mechanics at Spirit, the inspectors at Spirit — they're going to speak the same language on this in every way, shape or form," Calhoun said. "We're going to learn from it, and then we're going to apply it to literally everything else we do together." With increased oversight, the FAA will cap the expansion of production for new MAX aircraft, ensuring Boeing is accountable and fully compliant will all quality control procedures. The agency will use its investigation into compliance and manufacturing requirements with full authority to ensure that Boeing will be held accountable for any non-compliance. The FAA will be closely monitoring data to identify and launch an analysis of potential safety-focused reforms around quality control and delegation. On Jan. 21 the FAA added an additional layer of safety by requiring inspections on the Boeing 737-900ER. The 900ER is not part of the newer MAX fleet but has the same door plug design. On Jan. 23 Boeing announced it would hold a "Quality Stand Down" on Thursday, allowing employees to take part in work sessions focused on quality. The company said in the coming weeks stand downs would take place at other factories and fabrication sites to include all airplane programs. During this time, employees will take part in hands-on learning, reflection and collaboration to identify where quality and compliance can be improved. On Thursday, Deal also addressed the frustrations shared by many airlines. "We have let down our airline customers and are deeply sorry for the significant disruption to them, their employees and their passengers," he said. "We are taking action on a comprehensive plan to bring these airplanes safely back to service and to improve our quality and delivery performance. We will follow the lead of the FAA and support our customers every step of the way." Grounding over 170 planes will prevent these airlines from operating fully, likely resulting in a major hit to profits at the start of the year and however long the planes stay grounded. Alaska Airlines, with 65 737-9 MAX in its fleet, expects a $150 million profit loss in 2024 due to the grounding, according to Reuters. According to CNBC, United CEO Scott Kirby revealed the airline was building a plan without the MAX 10 in it. He said at best, the plane is delayed about five years. United currently has 79 MAX 9 aircraft in its fleet. CNBC reported that United will take a loss in the first quarter, prompting a reevaluation of its commitment to the MAX. "I think the Max 9 grounding is probably the straw that broke the camel's back for us," Kirby to CNBC. "We're going to at least build a plan that doesn't have the Max 10 in it." This is not the first time the FAA has cracked down on Boeing safety, convening 24 experts to review its safety management processes and how they affect Boeing safety culture in early 2023. The agency said it expects a report within weeks.