KUALA LUMPUR – Plane-maker Boeing and partner Spirit AeroSystems have repeatedly failed to comply with manufacturing quality control requirements, according to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) after their six-week audit.
In response, the US aviation regulator gave Boeing 90 days to outline its corrective action plan to fix systemic quality-control issues.
“The FAA identified non-compliance issues in Boeing’s manufacturing process control, parts handling and storage, and product control.
“The plan must also address the findings from the expert review panel report that examined Boeing’s safety culture,” said the FAA in a statement.
The FAA will thoroughly review all of Boeing’s corrective actions to determine if they fully address the findings.
“To hold Boeing accountable for its production quality issues, the FAA has halted production expansion of the Boeing 737 MAX, is exploring the use of a third party to conduct independent reviews of quality systems, and will continue its increased onsite presence at Boeing’s facility in Renton, Washington, and Spirit AeroSystems’ facility in Wichita, Kansas,” it added.
The audit is one of the oversight actions the FAA took after a left mid-cabin door plug blew out of a Boeing 737 MAX (Alaska Airlines Flight 1282) on January 5 mid-flight, leaving a large hole in the cabin and triggering an emergency landing.
On Monday, Boeing chief executive Dave Calhoun said the company has “a clear picture of what needs to be done and transparency prevailed in all of these discussions”.
The FAA advisory panel last week found that Boeing staff were confused and distrustful of changes to safety reporting systems after fatal plane crashes in 2018 and 2019. – March 5, 2024