The Federal Aviation Administration’s audit of Boeing and Spirit AeroSystems found “multiple instances in which the companies allegedly failed to comply with manufacturing quality control requirements,” the agency said Monday.
The six-week investigation, which began after a Boeing 737 Max 9 lost a door panel during a flight in January, found issues with Boeing’s “manufacturing process control, parts handling and storage, and product control,” the FAA said in a news release, which didn’t offer more detail.
FAA Administrator Mike Whitaker addressed the audit’s findings with Boeing’s CEO and other senior leaders in a meeting last week and gave the company 90 days to outline a plan of action, the FAA said. Boeing also must review and address a report released last week by a panel of outside experts that examined safety culture within the company dating back to two 737 Max 8 crashes in 2018 and 2019.
To hold Boeing accountable, the FAA said, it has halted the expanded production of the Boeing 737 Max, whose fuselage is built by Spirit AeroSystems. It is also exploring the use of an independent third party to review Boeing’s quality systems. It will also continue to physically monitor Boeing and Spirit AeroSystems’ work with FAA representatives at Boeing facilities in Washington state and Spirit AeroSystems in Kansas.
A spokesperson for Boeing told HuffPost on Monday that its president and chief executive officer, Dave Calhoun, had expressed optimism about the road ahead following his meeting with the FAA.
“We have a clear picture of what needs to be done,” Calhoun was quoted as saying. “Boeing will develop the comprehensive action plan with measurable criteria that demonstrates the profound change that Administrator Whitaker and the FAA demand. Our Boeing leadership team is totally committed to meeting this challenge.”
The FAA’s investigation comes after a door panel, called a door plug, blew off of an Alaska Airlines jetliner over Oregon on Jan. 5. The plane, en route from Portland to Southern California, was able to land safely, and no serious injuries were reported.
A preliminary report released last month by the National Transportation Safety Board found that several bolts had likely been taken off the panel during repair work but not replaced.
Boeing 737 Max 9s were immediately grounded in the U.S. by the FAA following the incident.