The FAA investigated 89 production items at Boeing's Renton, Wash., factory and found that the company had deficiencies in 33 of them, according to a person familiar with the report. The person spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss details that had previously been reported by The New York Times, which published a slide presentation about the government audit, but have not been made public.
Diehl said in the memo that the “vast majority” of violations the FAA found involved workers who did not follow Boeing-approved procedures.
Diehl said the company will take corrective action, which includes “working with each employee identified in violation during the audit to ensure they fully understand work instructions and procedures.”
He said Boeing will add weekly compliance checks to all work teams at the Renton plant, where Max jets are assembled.
Deal acknowledged that a panel of government and industry experts recently concluded that Boeing's safety procedures were too complex and involved too many changes.
“Our team is working to simplify and streamline processes and address the committee’s recommendations,” he told staff.
The day before the explosion on Alaska Airlines Flight 1282, the airline's engineers and technicians tried to take the plane out of service to examine a warning light connected to the pressurization system, but the airline stopped the plane from flying. I was scheduled to carry out a maintenance inspection until late. The next night, The New York Times reported on Tuesday. But before that could happen, the door plug panel was blown off the jet at 16,000 feet (4,800 meters) over Oregon.
Alaska told The Associated Press that the maintenance plan “followed all processes and procedures.” There was nothing requesting or suggesting that the aircraft needed to be removed from service. ”
Brett Oestreich, president of the Fraternal Order of Aircraft Mechanics, Alaska's engineering union, said there was nothing unusual about the state's response to the issue. He said the warning light did not indicate where there might be a pressurization problem and that mechanics had been unable to identify the problem after the warning light came on on three previous flights.
As a result of the earlier cabin pressurization alert, Alaska Airlines suspended the use of the aircraft on flights to Hawaii. Days after the explosion, National Transportation Safety Board Chairwoman Jennifer Homendy said the warning was unrelated to the accident. A preliminary report said four bolts were missing after repair work at a Boeing factory.
In addition to the ongoing FAA and NTSB investigations, Boeing said recent issues, including a ruptured emergency door panel on an Alaska Airlines jet that took off from Portland, Oregon, on January 5 violated the terms of the settlement. The company is facing a Justice Department investigation into whether or not it exists. The company reached an agreement in 2021 to avoid criminal prosecution after two Max crashes in Indonesia in 2018 and Ethiopia in 2019 killed 346 people.
Separately on Tuesday, Boeing reported that it received orders for 15 jetliners in February and delivered 27 to Southwest Airlines and United Airlines, including two Max jets each. TD Cowen analyst Kai Von Lemois called the delivery situation “anemic,” which is not surprising given the increased FAA scrutiny of the company.
The slowdown in deliveries has left Boeing further behind European rival Airbus, which delivered 49 planes last month, adding to frustration for airlines.
Southwest Airlines said it may have to scale back growth as it expects to take on fewer Max planes than planned due to Boeing Co.'s struggles.
Shares of Arlington, Virginia-based Boeing Co. closed more than 4% lower on Tuesday.
Credit: AP
Credit: AP
Credit: AP
Credit: AP
