On March 6, 2024, an Alaska Airlines Boeing 737 took off from Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) in Los Angeles, California.
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U.S. aviation safety regulator finds “dozens of issues” at facilities owned by Boeing Co. and one of its key suppliers six week review 737 Max jet production status New York Times.
FAA launches investigation after 737 Max 9 flight door panel explodes Alaska Airlines The incident in early January prompted intense scrutiny of Boeing’s quality control practices.
The New York Times report, released Tuesday, is based on a review of internal FAA slide presentations and outlines numerous problems that auditors found. According to the Times, many of the problems fall under the category of failure to follow “approved manufacturing processes” and failure to maintain appropriate quality control documentation.
FAA auditors found that Boeing passed 56 tests but failed 33 of the 89 product audits conducted, the report said.
The New York Times stated that during the six-week review, the FAA also conducted 13 product reviews, focusing on Spirit AeroSystems, which produces the fuselage for the Boeing 737 Max. Only 6 of the reviews passed and 7 failed.
A document reviewed by The New York Times found that a Spirit mechanic used a hotel key card to check door seals. In another instance, the FAA reportedly saw Spirit mechanics applying liquid Dawn soap to door seals as a lubricant “during the assembly process.”
A spokesperson for Spirit reportedly said the company was “reviewing all identified nonconformities to take corrective action.”
In late February, the FAA gave Boeing 90 days to develop a quality control improvement plan. Around the same time, an expert panel report into Boeing found a “disconnect” in safety culture between its top management and employees.
Congress requested the panel’s report after two crashes involving Boeing 737 Max aircraft in 2018 and 2019 that killed all passengers and crew on board (346 people in total).
In response to the New York Times report and the recent expert panel report, Boeing said it would continue to “immediately implement changes and develop a comprehensive action plan to enhance safety and quality.”
“We are focused on taking significant, proven and transparent actions at every step,” Boeing said in a statement to CNBC.
In addition to the FAA, the National Transportation Safety Board is also investigating what caused the 737 Max jet door panel to explode in the Alaska Airlines incident, and the Department of Justice has reportedly opened a criminal investigation into the company.
—CNBC’s Phil LeBeau contributed to this report.
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