An aerial photo shows a Boeing 737 Max aircraft parked on the tarmac at the Boeing factory in Renton, Washington, on March 21, 2019.
Lindsay Watson | Reuters
The Federal Aviation Administration is giving boeing company The agency said Wednesday it needs 90 days to develop a plan to improve quality control, less than two months after a 737 Max door jam burst nine minutes after takeoff. Alaska Airlines flight.
A preliminary investigation into Flight 1282 earlier this month found that bolts required for unused door panels on the nearly new plane appeared to be missing. The door jams were removed and reinstalled at Boeing’s 737 Max factory in Renton, Washington.
It is the latest and most serious in a series of production problems for Boeing’s best-selling plane.
“Boeing must commit to real and profound improvements,” FAA Administrator Mike Whitaker said in a press release the day after meeting with Boeing CEO Dave Calhoun and the company’s safety managers. “Achieving fundamental change will require a sustained effort from Boeing leadership, and we will hold them accountable every step of the way and set mutually understood milestones and expectations.”
Boeing said in a statement that it would develop a “comprehensive action plan with measurable criteria” and that its leadership team was “fully committed to meeting this challenge.”
The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is conducting an audit of Boeing’s 737 production line. The agency said last month it would halt plans to increase production of Boeing Co’s 737 Max planes until regulators are satisfied with the company’s quality control systems.
An expert panel’s report on Boeing on Monday found a “disconnect” in safety culture between the manufacturer’s top management and employees. Congress requested the report after two crashes of Boeing 737 Max aircraft in 2018 and 2019 that killed everyone on board.
The FAA said Wednesday it expects Boeing’s plans to include findings from the report and its audit, which are expected to be completed in the coming weeks.
Boeing recently began conducting regular shutdowns at its plants to discuss safety and other production issues with workers.
“With our quality pauses, the FAA audit findings and the recent expert review team report, we have a clear understanding of what needs to be done,” Boeing said in a statement.
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