Boeing HQ
The hits just keep on coming in the media for Boeing. A new Spirit AeroSystems whistleblower relates allegation of serious defects and pressure to let them pass, and two more aircraft were involved in incidents, including a 28 year old 737-300 skidding off the runway on take-off, injuring 11, and a 737-800 blowing a tire and ending up on its landing gear strut in Turkey. These follow yesterday’s incidents as the press continues to jump on anything Boeing.
The downstream impacts of Boeing events is also featured. Leonardo doesn’t yet know the impact of the latest 787 inspection program on production, which comes shortly after Boeing reduced the rate from 5 per month to 3 per month for most of this year. The new issues haven’t been fully evaluated yet, but entail the wing to fuselage joining area, which is a critical area and not easy to inspect on a completed airliner. Quality issues on Alaska’s two 737-800 Boeing Converted Freighters are still not completed and Alaska’s schedule has been curtailed as a result.
On the freighter market, Boeing received another exemption for the 767-300F in the FAA reauthorization bill, enabling the older aircraft design to continue in production. The remaining orders for the airplane are from UPS and FedEx.
Links to today’s key stories follow:
- Parts supplied to Boeing had ‘serious defects’ – whistleblower – BBC
- Boeing 737-300 skids off runway in Senegal – Times Aerospace
- Corendon 737-800 suffers nose gear failure after landing Gazipasa – Aviation Source
- Boeing quality issues delay Alaska Airlines converted freighters – Freight Waves
- Leonardo left in dark about impact of latest safety issue on future 787 output – Flight Global
- Spirit AeroSystems chief believes Airbus partnership will remain intact – Flight Global
- Boeing keeps mid-sized freighter door open with 767-300F production deadline extension – Cargo Facts
- Boeing’s safety claims probed by SEC after panel blew off plane – BNN Bloomberg
- Allegiant scales back Boeing delivery outlook – Airline Geeks
The Bottom Line
More probes are coming for Boeing, as the SEC is now looking at executive statements in the wake of the Alaska Airlines incident. Allegiant has joined other carriers in scaling back expectations for Boeing deliveries in 2024, cutting their initial plan in half. Airlines remain very unhappy with Boeing and Dave Calhoun, its CEO.
Boeing is under a media microscope, with every fault being criticized while the main message is ignored. An example of this is coverage of the FedEx landing gear incident, in which a perfect landing was achieved without injuries and the aircraft coming to rest on the runway, as it should. The safe return should be celebrated, not the fault, which is likely an airline maintenance issue. Things break on aircraft, and will continue to do so. The important thing is the result, with no fatalities being a key metric. Incidents happen every day. The reason we don’t normally hear about them is because there were few consequences and aircraft are built with redundancies. But for beleaguered Boeing, media standards have changed, and the spotlight is on the word Boeing, even if it is an old aircraft with questionable maintenance. While the industry strives for perfection, it is, unfortunately, beyond all our reach.
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I am a former whistleblower from Boeing. They rush Calibration at their Metrology laboratory and cause inherent defects to be installed with out of tolerance test devices. They fail to use and or follow test procedures and are constantly being harassed by managers to speed up. I have asked the FAA to hire me as an auditor to help correct the dangerous processes at Boeing.