In the first week of 2024, a Boeing 737 Max 9 passenger jet lost a rear door plug midflight, terrifying people on board. “The Federal Aviation Administration ordered the grounding of similarly configured Boeing 737 Max 9 airline for weeks,” as reported by npr.org. The FAA said at the time, “This incident should have never happened and it cannot happen again.” Though commercial air travel is safe overall, “Boeing now faces renewed questions over its ability to meet quality and safety standards.” according to npr.org. Boeing CEO Dave Calhoun spoke to reporters on Capitol Hill on January 24th, “we have confidence in the safety of our airplanes,” npr.org states “The flight lasts almost exactly 20 minutes,” Calhoun stated. “And that’s what all of this is about, we fully understand gravity.”
Here’s a recap of Boeing’s Troubled year so far according to npr.org:
January 5th: Door plug failure cuts Alaska Airlines flight short
January 8th: Airlines find more loose parts, while a lawsuit alleges “excessive amount of defects at key Boeing supplier”
January 12th: FAA says it will audit Boeing production, hints at a major shift
January 16th: Apparent Boeing insider blames company for door plug
January 24th: FAA clears path for 737 Max 9 to resume flying
January 26th: The 737 Max 9 flies again, but some customers balk
February. 6: In preliminary report, NTSB says bolts were missing
February 21: Head of 737 Max program departs in shakeup
February 28: FAA gives Boeing 90 days to come up with a plan
March 4: FAA audit slams Boeing and Spirit
March 6: NTSB says Boeing isn’t sharing basic details
March 8: Boeing says it can’t locate documents related to door plug
March 9: A Boeing whistleblower is found dead
March 12: NTSB sets date for investigative hearing; Boeing replies to FAA audit findings
January 5th: Door plug failure cuts Alaska Airlines flight short.
On January 5th a door plug came off on an Alaska Airlines Flight. “Alaska Airlines Flight 1282, a Boeing 737 Max 9, Climbs to 16,00 feet after taking off in Portland, ore. But it’s rear door plug is violently expelled from the plane, with 171 passengers and six crew members aboard,” according to npr.org
January 8th: Airlines find more loose parts, while a lawsuit alleges “excessive amount of defects at key Boeing supplier.”
On January 8th Alaska Airlines and United Airlines both flew Boeing jets with the door-plug configuration, both airlines found loose parts on their 137 Max 9 jets. “As the door plug failure makes headlines, new scrutiny comes to Spirit aerosystems, which manufactured the fuselage and door plug on Alaska Airlines Plane,” as stated by npr.org.
January 12th: FAA says it will audit Boeing production , hints at a major shift
On January 12th, “one day after sending the company formal notice of an investigation into whether it broke regulation, the FAA says it will audit the Boeing 737 Max production line and its suppliers as the agency boosts oversight,” as reported by npr.org. “In what could promise a sea change for the industry, the FAA says it’s looking at clawing back some of the safety analysis work it outsourced to plane markers,” according to npr.org. “It’s something that’s long overdue,” Davide Soucie, a former FAA safety inspector, tells NPR.
January 16th: Apparent Boeing insider blames company for door plug
On January 16th Boeing insiders blamed the company for the door plug. Npr.org states “A self-described Boeing employee says the aircraft company, not Spirit, was the last to install the door plugs on the 737 Max 9.”
January 24th: FAA clears path for 737 Max 9 to resume flying
On January 24th FAA cleared the path for 737 Max 9 to resume flying. According to npr.org, “The FAA says the grounded Boeing 737 Max 9 jets can be put back into service once they’ve undergone a thorough inspection and maintenance process.”
January 26th: The 737 Max 9 flies again, but some customers balk
On January 26th the 737 Max 9 flew again, but some customers balked, as stated by npr.org, “After three weeks, Alaska Airlines put the first of its Boeing 737 Max 9 jets back into service. But some customers say they’re reluctant to fly on the aircraft, their confidence shaken by the nightmarish incident earlier that month.” Corrie Savio tells NPR, “I never paid any attention until this happened as to what I was flying in,” according to npr.org “As potential passengers look for ways to know what plane they’ll likely be on, airlines and booking sites offer ways for customers to change planes, including limiting the Max 9 from flight search results.”
March 8: Boeing says it can’t locate documents related to door plug
On March 8th Boeing said they can’t locate documents related to the door plug. According to npr.org, “In a letter to Washington Sen. Maria Cantwell, Ziad Ojakli, Boeing’s executive vice President of government operations, says employees looked ‘extensively’ but could not find closing of the door plug.” Also npr.org states, “Ojakli also says Boeing has been transparent with the government’s investigation, denying allegations that the company hasn’t been fully cooperative.”
American Airlines to Chicago with Boeing 737 makes a U-turn. “Fort Worth based American Airlines (AA) flight from Raleigh Durham Airport (RDU) to Chicago O’hare international Airport made a U-turn after the crew received a cargo door open warning.” as reported by aviationa2z.com “a small grass fire ignited on the runway’s edge on October 31st was caused by an engine issue from a United Airlines Boeing 737-800 aircraft.” According to simpleflying.com, “Boeing CEO Kelly Ortberg said Wednesday he believes the plane marker can be ‘an aerospace leader again as the company faces slew of issues with its aircraft programs and a machinist strike.” According to Skift.com, “The ongoing machinist strike is costing Boeing roughly $1 billion a month.” According to Skift.com, the CEO of Boeing said after losing $6 billion, “trust in our company has eroded.”
March 9: A Boeing whistleblower is found dead
On March 9th Boeing whistleblower was found dead. “John Barnett, a former Boeing quality control manager who became a whistleblower, was found dead in Charleston, S.C., where he once worked at Boeing’s large 787 plant,” npr.org stated. Police investigated Barnett’s death after finding him dead in a vehicle. Npr.org states, “the coroner’s office says he died ‘from what appears to be a self-inflicted gunshot wound.” Based on npr.org, “Barnett was locked in a year-long legal battle with Boeing. In a Whistleblower complaint filed in 2017, he accused his former employer of retaliating against him for raising safety concerns in the company’s commercial airplanes.” In a statement with his family they state, “he was looking forward to having his day in court and hoped that it would force Boeing to change its culture.”
https://aviationa2z.com/index.php/2024/10/20/american-airlines-chicago-flight-makes-u-turn/
https://simpleflying.com/united-airlines-boeing-737-800-engine-issue-grass-fire-boston/
https://skift.com/2024/10/23/trust-in-our-company-has-eroded-boeing-ceo-says/
https://www.npr.org/2024/03/20/1239132703/boeing-timeline-737-max-9-controversy-door-plug
