Boeing
and the Focus
on Safety
The past few years have kept Boeing in the public eye due to concerns over a lack of safety protocols within their manufacturing processes. The numerous incidents have brought about regulatory scrutiny and federal investigations.
In 2018 and 2019 the most significant impact was to the 737 Max 8 jets which faced global grounding after two fatal crashes involving Lion Air and later Ethiopian Airlines. Investigations revealed issues with the aircraft’s Maneuvering Characteristics Augmentation System, a flight control feature designed to prevent stalls.
To resolve the issues, Boeing underwent rigorous reviews of the software updates to the features as well as significant pilot training requirements. Boeing had committed to improving its safety culture and internal processes to prevent similar incidents in the future.
In recent years, Boeing was once again the subject of aircraft malfunctions including:
Boeing 777: Engine failure in 2021 after take off attributing to a fractured fan blade.
Boeing 767: airworthiness issues including potential cracks in fuselage frames, fuel system wiring concerns and aging-related structural inspections.
Boeing 737: Max 9 mid-flight door plug blowout.
In February of this year, the FAA (Federal Aviation Administration) announced that Boeing had 90 days to create a plan to address its “systemic quality-control issues.” Boeing immediately provided their current practices documentation related to safety for review. In this report, the FAA found a “disconnect between Boeing’s senior management and other members of the organization on safety culture.”
Auditing 737 Max 9 jet production line
Due to the scrutiny over the 737 Max 9 door blowout, the FAA underwent an audit of the jet production line and found a plethora of issues with the production process:
“Noncompliance issues in Boeing’s manufacturing process control, parts handling and storage, and product control”
While the audit is complete, the FAA said it could not release further details due to the ongoing investigation, but did state the audit went beyond ‘paperwork issues’ to include things like tool management.
Summary
As a result of the investigations and as the FAA awaits Boeing’s completion of its systemic quality-control issues, CEO, Dave Calhoun has stepped down in the wake of the safety issues.
The FAA vows to increase oversight of Boeing’s production and manufacturing processes.
and the Focus
on Safety
