During a six-week audit conducted by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) on Boeing’s production of the 737 MAX aircraft, numerous issues were discovered throughout the manufacturing process at Boeing and one of its major suppliers.
The audit was prompted by an incident in early January when a door panel detached from a 737 MAX 9 aircraft during a flight operated by Alaska Airlines. While the FAA announced last week that the audit revealed “multiple instances” of non-compliance with quality-control requirements by Boeing and Spirit AeroSystems, specific details were not disclosed.
However, a slide presentation reviewed by The New York Times provides a more comprehensive overview of the findings. The presentation, although technical in nature, sheds light on the outcomes of the audit. Following the Alaska Airlines incident, Boeing has faced heightened scrutiny regarding its quality-control procedures, and the audit findings contribute to the growing body of evidence regarding manufacturing deficiencies at the company.
The examination of Boeing involved 89 product audits conducted by the FAA, which assess various aspects of the production process. Of these audits, Boeing passed 56 and failed 33, resulting in a total of 97 instances of alleged noncompliance, as outlined in the presentation.
The Federal Aviation Administration (F.A.A.) announced last week the findings of a six-week audit conducted on Boeing and one of its principal suppliers, Spirit AeroSystems, revealing “multiple instances” of noncompliance with quality-control standards.
The audit, focused on the production of the Boeing 737 Max aircraft, highlighted issues in Boeing’s manufacturing process control, parts handling and storage, and product control. However, specific details were not disclosed by the regulator.
The F.A.A. initiated the audit following an incident in early January, wherein a door panel detached from a 737 Max 9 aircraft at an altitude of approximately 16,000 feet. This event raised concerns about the adherence to quality-control protocols at both Boeing and Spirit, the latter being responsible for manufacturing the fuselage of the 737 Max.
Since the incident, the F.A.A. has intensified its oversight of Boeing, prompted by the detachment of the panel from a Boeing 737 Max 9 aircraft over Oregon on January 5. Despite the aircraft sustaining damage, the pilots managed to safely land the plane.
In response to the heightened scrutiny, Boeing replaced the executive overseeing the 737 Max program. Additionally, the F.A.A. issued a 90-day deadline for Boeing to formulate a plan addressing safety concerns outlined by both the regulator and an independent panel comprising experts from various sectors.
A preliminary report released by the National Transportation Safety Board in the previous month indicated that four bolts securing the door plug of the affected jet had been removed during assembly at Boeing’s facility in Renton, Washington. The report suggested the possibility that these bolts were not reinstalled before the aircraft entered into service.
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