Boeing steps up inspections, to review factory quality controls
BOEING said it will increase inspections of aircraft under production and open its factories to airline customers as it seeks to improve quality control in the wake of the near-disaster on an Alaska Airlines flight earlier this month.
The US planemaker has sent a team to work with its biggest supplier, Spirit AeroSystems Holdings, and will review and inspect mid-exit door plugs before the fuselage section can be shipped to Boeing, commercial aircraft chief Stan Deal said in a letter to employees.
The new actions from Boeing come after the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) last Friday (Jan 12) extended the grounding of 171 MAX 9 planes indefinitely for new safety checks. Only after 40 planes are inspected will the agency review the results and determine if safety is adequate to allow the MAX 9s to resume flying, the FAA said.
Boeing will also bring in an outside party to review its quality controls and suggest improvements, Deal said, adding another layer of scrutiny to its manufacturing process.
Meanwhile, both Boeing and Spirit will open their 737 production facilities to airline customers for carriers to provide their own inspections.
Boeing will also hold sessions for employees on quality management, and bring in an outside party to conduct an independent assessment of its production process, Deal said.
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Deal noted that the actions laid out in the letter are separate from the FAA’s ongoing investigation and plans to increase oversight of MAX production.
However, before new MAX 9s are delivered, Boeing “will conduct the same thorough inspections of the mid-exit door plugs as mandated by the FAA”, Deal wrote.
The regulator announced last week it will also audit the Boeing 737 MAX 9 production line and suppliers, and consider having an independent entity take over certain aircraft certification responsibilities that the FAA previously assigned to the planemaker.
Boeing has boosted its number of quality inspectors by 20 per cent since 2019 and plans to make additional investments to its quality units, Deal wrote.
“Everything we do must conform to the requirements in our quality management system. Anything less is unacceptable,” Deal said. “Let each one of us take personal accountability and recommit ourselves to this important work.”
The moves are meant to improve manufacturing and bolster customer confidence following the blowout of a door panel on Alaska Airlines Flight 1282 on Jan 5, which tore a gaping hole in the side of the aircraft midflight.
United Airlines and Alaska Airlines have cancelled all MAX 9 flights till Tuesday. BLOOMBERG
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