For more than a year, the American aircraft manufacturer Boeing has suffered various production problems and incidents on aircraft in operation, which led to the opening of all-out audits and investigations, and caused the departure of its boss. end of 2024, announced Monday.
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This is the situation that his successor, not yet appointed, will have to manage.
Production issues
The aircraft manufacturer suffered production and delivery delays of the 737, its flagship aircraft, throughout 2023 due to manufacturing problems.
In April, Boeing reported defects in parts supplied by its subcontractor Spirit AeroSystems for “the rear fuselage” of certain aircraft.
A few months later, the aircraft manufacturer mentioned a problem with a watertight bulkhead requiring the inspection of “hundreds of holes”.
At the end of December, he warned of a risk of a “loose bolt” on the rudder control system.
The manufacturer had previously had to suspend deliveries of the long-haul 787 several times due to manufacturing and inspection defects.
Revealing incident
At the start of 2024, these production problems will have repercussions on operations.
On January 5, an Alaska Airlines 737 MAX 9 flying from Portland, Oregon to Ontario, California, lost a cap holder in flight. This device blocks an emergency exit when there are enough in relation to the number of seats.
In the process, the American civil aviation regulator, the FAA, grounded the 737 MAX 9s with this configuration – 171 out of 218 delivered – and launched an audit on the manufacturer’s quality control.
The preliminary report from the United States Transportation Safety Agency (NTSB), released on February 6, indicates that “four bolts intended to prevent the cap holder from moving upwards were missing.”
These bolts were removed at the Renton, Washington, factory before the aircraft was delivered in October to replace damaged rivets.
“Boeing has informed us that it is unable to find documentation documenting these operations,” the NTSB said on March 13.
For its part, Boeing is launching an internal investigation and taking action to improve its safety and quality procedures.
Failing controls
The FAA audit identifies “non-compliance issues in manufacturing control process, parts handling and storage, and production control” at Boeing and Spirit AeroSystems.
Boeing must provide it, within 90 days, with a “comprehensive action plan” to remedy these problems as well as those identified by a commission of independent experts.
The mission of this commission stems from a 2020 law adopted after two Boeing 737 MAX 8 accidents in 2018 and 2019, which left 346 dead. The experts carried out their investigations between March 2023 and February 2024.
According to them, Boeing’s safety system has shortcomings. They relate in particular to “complex” procedures which sometimes sow “confusion” among employees. They issue 53 recommendations.
The FAA is also freezing the production rate of the 737 MAX until it deems the required changes to have been made.
Investigations
According to American media, in addition to investigations by regulators, the Department of Justice has opened a criminal investigation into the January 5 incident.
The Seattle Times reported Saturday that its passengers had received a letter from the Federal Police (FBI) reporting that they had been “identified as a possible victim of a crime” and that a “criminal investigation” was underway. course.
Furthermore, an investigation was launched in New Zealand after a Latam 787 Dreamliner suddenly lost altitude, injuring around fifty people.
Black sequence
In this context, incidents occurring on Boeing aircraft have been particularly scrutinized in the United States and some have led to the opening of investigations by regulators.
Boeing stressed that several occurred on older aircraft, the maintenance of which was the responsibility of the airline.
On January 18, an Atlas Air 747 freighter made an emergency landing in Miami (Florida) after an “engine fire” shortly after takeoff.
At the end of February, United Airlines pilots reported that the rudder pedals of their 737 MAX were stuck after landing in Newark, New Jersey.
On March 4, a Boeing 737 returned to land in Houston (Texas) because of an engine problem. According to media reports, plastic from bubble wrap was sucked into a motor and flames came out.
On March 7, a Boeing 777 made an emergency landing in Los Angeles (California) after losing a tire on takeoff.
