Boeing is to implement changes to quality control procedures for the 737 MAX 9 after an Alaska Airlines aircraft lost its door plug mid-flight and suffered an explosive decompression.
The manufacturer is to add more inspections at its own factory and at Spirit Aerosystems, a key supplier that installs door plugs on unused emergency exits on certain models of the MAX. Both parties will also open their factories to greater scrutiny by airlines who fly the type.
“The AS1282 accident and recent customer findings make clear that we are not where we need to be,” said Stan Deal, chief executive of Boeing’s commercial aircraft unit, in a memo to employees. “To that end, we are taking immediate actions to bolster quality assurance and controls across our factories”.
Boeing’s initiative comes just days after the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) announced what it terms ‘new and significant actions to immediately increase its oversight of Boeing production and manufacturing’, including an independent third-party audit of the 737 9 MAX production line and its suppliers. Findings from this audit, intended to ‘evaluate Boeing’s compliance with its approved quality procedures’, will determine whether additional audits are necessary.
The FAA has stated that ‘every Boeing 737-9 MAX with a plug door will remain grounded until the FAA finds each can safely return to operation’.