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Boeing recently announced a new issue with the fuselages of its 737 airplanes, which could potentially result in delays for approximately 50 deliveries. This is just the latest in a series of quality mishaps that have plagued the company.
On February 5th, Boeing Commercial Airplanes CEO Stan Deal sent a letter to employees informing them that a supplier had discovered incorrectly drilled holes in fuselages. Spirit AeroSystems, located in Wichita, Kansas, is responsible for producing a significant portion of the fuselages for Boeing Max aircraft.
In a letter to employees that was shared with the media, Deal stated that although this potential issue does not pose an immediate safety threat and all 737s can still be operated safely, it is likely that approximately 50 undelivered planes will require rework.
According to Deal, an employee from the company supplying the fuselages discovered a problem and informed their manager that two holes may not have been drilled correctly as per the specifications.
Boeing and Spirit AeroSystems are under close examination for the standard of their work following an incident involving an Alaska Airlines 737 Max 9 on January 5th. The plane had to make an unplanned landing after a door plug dislodged from the side of the aircraft soon after taking off from Portland, Oregon.
A door plug dislodged from the side of the aircraft shortly after departure.
The NTSB is currently examining the incident, while the Federal Aviation Administration is looking into whether or not Boeing and its suppliers adhered to proper quality-control protocols.
After the accident, Alaska Airlines and United Airlines, the only US airlines operating the Max 9, discovered loose hardware in door plugs during their inspections of other planes. As a result, the FAA immediately grounded all Max 9s in the US. However, two weeks later, the agency authorized an inspection and maintenance procedure for the planes to resume flying.
Alaska Airlines and United Airlines have started to resume service for some flights.
Last week, Boeing, headquartered in Renton, Washington, announced that it would be retracting its request for a safety waiver required for the certification of a smaller version of the 737 Max aircraft. In late 2020, Boeing had requested permission from federal regulators to deliver the 737 Max 7 to customers, despite not meeting a safety requirement intended to prevent engine housing overheating and detachment during flight.
Source: independent.co.uk
