STORY: Boeing’s 737 MAX production process has dozens of issues with quality control.
That’s according to the New York Times….
reporting on Monday on an audit from the Federal Aviation Administration.
The checks came after a door panel blew off an Alaska Airlines plane mid-flight in January.
The paper said the aerospace giant failed 33 out of 89 product tests for the MAX…
… including checks on the component that blew off the jet, known as a door plug.
Meanwhile, the report said supplier Spirit AeroSystems, which makes the fuselage for the MAX, passed just six out of 13 audits.
It failed checks including one that involved a cargo door…
… and another on the installation of cockpit windows.
Concerns were also raised about technicians who carried out the door plug work…
… the report said there was a failure “to determine the knowledge necessary for the operation of its processes”.
The FAA, Boeing and Spirit AeroSystems did not reply to Reuters’ request for comment.
Now the audit comes as Boeing scrambles to explain and strengthen safety procedures…
… after the FAA temporarily grounded MAX 9 jets due to the January incident…
That same event is subject to investigations by the Justice Department and National Transportation Safety Board.
Earlier on Monday, U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said he expects Boeing to comply with the federal probes.