A Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) audit of Boeing and Spirit AeroSystems has found multiple instances where the companies allegedly failed to comply with manufacturing quality control requirements.
The six-week audit was prompted by a Jan. 5 mid-flight dislodging of a door plug from a Boeing 737-9 MAX aircraft. The audit is separate from an expert panel review and that panel's final report, which was shared with the public on Feb. 26 and indicated gaps in “Boeing’s safety journey.”
During the audit, the FAA identified non-compliance issues in Boeing’s manufacturing process control, parts handling and storage, and product control. The FAA said it provided these details to the public on March 4 as an update to the agency’s ongoing investigation.
To hold Boeing accountable for the issues, the FAA has halted production expansion of the 737 MAX, is exploring the use of a third party to conduct independent reviews of quality systems, and will continue its increased onsite presence at Boeing’s facility in Renton, Washington, and Spirit AeroSystems’ facility in Wichita, Kansas.
The audit is one of the immediate oversight actions the FAA took after a left mid-cabin door plug blew out of Alaska Airlines Flight 1282 on Jan. 5 while in flight. At a meeting at FAA headquarters in Washington, D.C., Feb. 27, FAA Administrator Mike Whitaker informed Boeing’s CEO and other senior leaders that the company must address the audit’s findings as part of its comprehensive corrective action plan to fix systemic quality control issues. The plan also must address the findings from the expert review panel report that examined Boeing’s safety culture. The FAA has given Boeing 90 days to outline its action plan.
The FAA said it will thoroughly review all of Boeing’s corrective actions to determine if they fully address the FAA’s findings.
