[ad_1]
Shelby Tauber/Bloomberg/Getty Images
Spirit AeroSystems offices in Farmers Branch, Texas.
Washington
CNN
—
Investigators investigating why part of a Boeing 737 Max 9 exploded mid-flight earlier this month have not yet determined whether a bolt was attached to that part of the plane.
National Transportation Safety Board Chairwoman Jennifer Homendy told reporters after a closed-door conference with lawmakers Wednesday that an investigation is underway. Investigators have determined why the door plug that was supposed to cover the space left by the emergency exit doors removed from the side of the plane from Alaska Airlines Flight 1282 on January 5 blew off, leaving a large hole in the side of the plane. are doing. .
She said the investigation is not just focused on the Bolt, and her team is currently conducting extensive research into the assembly of the door plug and its transport from Malaysia, where it was first manufactured, to factories in Wichita, Kansas, and Renton, Washington. He said he was collecting records. He said it was unclear whether Boeing employees removed the plug from the plane when it arrived in Renton from subcontractor Spirit Aleo Systems.
Scientists at the NTSB lab are currently examining the plug, but have not yet begun disassembling it.
“They have very bright lights. They are doing targeted photography,” Homendy said. “They might take the metal shavings and put them under an electron microscope.”
Next week, NTSB officials will begin disassembling the door plug to further examine its structure.
Homendy said he speaks once or twice almost every day with the head of the Federal Aviation Administration, who participated virtually in a Senate Commerce Committee briefing.
extended probe
The FAA announced Wednesday it is expanding its investigation into the quality control of the Boeing 737 Max 9 following this month’s onboard explosion.
The FAA said in a new statement that it is currently investigating Spirit AeroSystems, the contractor that builds the fuselage of the Boeing 737 Max 9. Last week, the FAA launched an investigation into Boeing’s quality control following the Alaska Airlines crash.
The FAA said the investigation will focus on whether Boeing’s “finished products comply with approved designs and are safe to operate in accordance with FAA regulations.” Boeing said in a statement last Thursday that it would “fully and transparently cooperate with the FAA and NTSB investigations.”
Spirit AeroSystems did not respond to a request for comment.
The FAA said all 171 Boeing 737 Max 9s in the United States remain grounded, and the agency has received new data from preliminary inspections of 40 of those aircraft.
“The first 40 inspections that are part of that process have already been completed, and the FAA will thoroughly review the data from them,” the FAA said in a statement. “If the FAA approves the inspection and maintenance process, it will be mandatory for all grounded 737-9 Max before future service.”
In an effort to restore confidence in manufacturing, Boeing announced Monday that it would allow airlines to enter Boeing Co. and Spirit AeroSystems factories.
Spirit AeroSystems shareholders filed a federal lawsuit against the company last year, accusing it of “pervasive and persistent quality deficiencies” in its products.
The lawsuit says Boeing put the Spirit on probation from around 2018 until at least 2021 because of quality defects ranging from product fragments to missing fasteners and peeling paint. There is no specific mention of door plugs.
The complaint alleges that “the continued quality problems are due in part to Spirit’s culture of prioritizing production numbers and short-term financial results over product quality and related demands made by Spirit and its customers. This is due to the company’s failure to hire sufficient personnel to deliver quality products at a pace that is fast enough. Boeing Company. ”
Additionally, the lawsuit alleges that a former Spirit AeroSystems employee (who is not named in the lawsuit) who worked as a quality controller and inspector, filed a complaint in 2022 with an employee of Spirit AeroSystems who wrote an “excessive amount of defects” in the product. He stated that he had written a complaint to the company. According to the complaint, the former employees believe that “Spirit treats the future of its products as more important than quality.”
Spirit AeroSystems spokesman Joe Buccino said in a statement last week that “Spirit strongly disagrees with the plaintiffs’ allegations in the amended complaint and intends to vigorously defend the claims.” . Spirit will not comment further regarding pending litigation. ”
In April, Spirit AeroSystems identified a manufacturing issue in the rear fuselage section of certain 737 models. “This is not an issue of immediate flight safety concern. We have and are following processes to address these types of production issues when we identify them,” the company said in a statement. .
In August, the company revealed that it had improperly drilled holes in the “aft pressure bulkhead” of some 737 fuselage models. Both Spirit and Boeing said in a statement that they determined the issue did not pose an immediate threat to flight safety.
This story has been updated with additional development and background
[ad_2]
Source link
