Boeing again promises improvements in quality and product safety
In response to the cabin door cover that went missing mid-flight, US aircraft manufacturer Boeing has again promised improvements. The company has surveyed its employees asking, "how can we improve quality and product safety?" and has received around 30,000 recommendations, explained Elizabeth Lund, Boeing's quality assurance chief, at a hearing in New York on Tuesday afternoon (local time).
Investigators from the US aviation authority are expected to clarify in the two-day hearing how it was possible for a door panel to break off shortly after takeoff of a Boeing 737-9 MAX at nearly 5,000 meters in altitude. The Alaska Airlines aircraft had to make an emergency landing, injuring eight passengers lightly.
According to the findings of the investigators, four securing bolts were missing from the defective door. Who removed them remains unclear. According to the company, repair work on the aircraft in the fall of last year was not fully documented. These are "documents that we don't believe exist," said Boeing representative Lund in the hearing.
When the aircraft was handed over from supplier Spirit Aerosystems to Boeing at the end of August last year, the bolts were reportedly installed, according to chief investigator John Lovell. However, before delivery to Alaska Airlines on September 19, repair work was still needed at the instruction of Boeing employees. Several rivets were renewed for this, for which the door bolts had to be removed.
The work was reportedly carried out by Spirit Aerosystems employees on the Boeing site in Renton, Washington, in the northwest of the USA. However, these Spirit employees were not authorized to remove the door bolts and did not do so, testified technician Michael Riney in his hearing. The work was not documented, according to Boeing's statements.
Boeing is actively working on implementing the suggested improvements to enhance quality and product safety, following the 30,000 recommendations received from its employees. After identifying four missing securing bolts from the defective door, Boeing is committed to making improvements in its documentation processes to prevent such incidents in the future.
