(New York) Boeing told employees Monday it plans to increase quality inspections of its 737 Max 9 planes, following the failure of an emergency exit door panel on a flight Alaska Airlines last week.
It’s the latest in a series of problems for Boeing, whose reputation as America’s leading aircraft maker has been tarnished by a series of manufacturing defects that have led some airlines to suspend plane purchases or opt for its European rival Airbus.
The inspections come after federal regulators grounded the 737 Max and Boeing said that in light of the Alaska Airlines flight problem and customer complaints, it is “clear we are not where we need to be be” in terms of quality assurance and controls.
In an email to employees, Boeing Commercial Airplanes President and CEO Stan Deal said teams are also carefully reviewing quality practices at factories and throughout the production system.
Boeing also uses airline customers and independent inspectors to examine planes if necessary, Mr. Deal wrote.
One of two door plugs on an Alaska Max 9 exploded shortly after the plane took off from Portland, Oregon, a week ago, leaving a hole in the plane. The cabin lost pressure and the plane was forced to descend quickly and return to Portland for an emergency landing. No serious injuries were reported.
NTSB PHOTO, REUTERS ARCHIVES
An Alaska Airlines Boeing 737 Max 9 lost a door during a flight on January 7.
Following the incident, the United States Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) announced last week that it was planning an investigation into whether the manufacturer failed to ensure that a sign fuselage that had exploded was safe and manufactured according to the design approved by regulators.
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is focusing its investigation on plugs used to fill extra door locations when those exits are not needed for safety reasons on Boeing 737 Max 9 airliners.
The incident on the Alaska Airlines plane is the latest in a series of accidents for Boeing that began in 2018, with the first of two Max 8 plane crashes in Indonesia and Ethiopia – four months away interval – which killed a total of 346 people.
The Max 8 and Max 9 planes remained grounded worldwide for nearly two years after the second crash. Since then, various manufacturing defects have sometimes delayed deliveries of the Max jets and a larger Boeing plane, the 787. Last month, the company asked airlines to inspect their Max jets for defects. Loose bolt in rudder control system.