The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has identified several quality control issues at Boeing Co. and Spirit AeroSystems in an audit conducted following an incident on January 5 involving a newly-manufactured Boeing 737-9 MAX aircraft.
As a response, the FAA has paused the production expansion of the Boeing 737 MAX to hold the company accountable for these issues. Additionally, they are considering the involvement of a third party to conduct independent audits of quality systems.
The FAA will maintain its heightened onsite presence at Boeing's Renton, Washington facility, and Spirit AeroSystems' Wichita, Kansas facility.
These actions were set in motion following a mid-flight incident on an Alaska Airlines' Boeing 737-9 MAX where a mid-cabin door plug was blown out. This incident led the FAA to ground approximately 171 737 MAX 9 planes for inspection and launch an investigation into Boeing's manufacturing practices, including those involving subcontractor Spirit AeroSystems.
In their six-week audit following the incident, the FAA discovered that the companies allegedly failed to adhere to manufacturing quality control requirements. Non-compliance issues were identified in parts handling and storage, manufacturing process control, and product control at Boeing.
On February 28, FAA Administrator Mike Whitaker informed Boeing President and CEO Dave Calhoun that the company must develop a comprehensive corrective action plan to address the audit's findings and correct systemic quality control issues. Calhoun responded by affirming that Boeing would develop a plan with measurable criteria that proves significant change in line with Whitaker and the FAA's demands.
Boeing has been given a 90-day deadline to present its plan. The FAA will conduct a thorough review of all of Boeing's corrective actions to determine their efficacy in addressing the agency's findings.
