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Boeing Enhances Quality of 737 Max Production Following a Flight Mishap in January
After an unfortunate incident regarding a 737 Max losing a panel mid-flight in January, Boeing has reported substantial enhancements in the aircraft’s production quality. The January incident, which involved an Alaska Airlines flight with no significant injuries, has however reignited concerns over Boeing’s aircraft quality. The issues persist over five years subsequent to two fatal crashes involving Boeing planes. To address these concerns, Boeing has implemented various measures to bolster safety and quality, including expanded training, procedure simplification, and supplier defect reduction.
A Closer Look at the January Incident
Speaking from the Boeing’s Renton-based factory, Elizabeth Lund, a Boeing executive, offered clarity on how a 737 Max left the manufacturing plant missing four crucial bolts securing a panel, referred as a door plug. Since the unfortunate January event, Boeing has ensured that the bodies of 737 Max aircraft undergo stricter inspections before being dispatched to Renton for the final assembly. This component of the aircraft is manufactured in Wichita, Kan., by Spirit AeroSystems, a supplier likely to be bought by Boeing shortly.
Effects of Enhanced Inspections and Supplier’s Contributions
Lund, the Senior Vice President for Quality in Boeing’s Commercial Airplane Division, claims these changes have produced significantly less major defects requiring corrections in the Renton factory. Supplier inspections have also given Boeing the ability to manufacture Max models faster and more efficiently upon arrival at the factory. Additionally, the company currently produces fewer planes based on Federal Aviation Administration’s guidelines that limited their production rate after the January incident.
Lund emphasized on how the measures implemented in the supplier’s factory have been incredibly beneficial. “We have bolstered our presence at the supplier’s location where we inspect the parts, confirm their perfection, have them rectified there, and then transported to our assembly line,” she said.
Challenges to Boeing’s Reputation
Impact of Past Incidents
The incident that occurred in January was another setback to Boeing’s reputation, following the Max 8 crashes in 2018 and 2019 that were responsible for the death of 346 people. Post the crashes, the Max was globally banned for about 20 months and started flying again at the end of 2020.
Since these mishaps, Boeing execs have repeatedly reassured regulators, aviation companies, and the public about their thorough efforts to enhance airplane quality and safety. However, the January incident alongside employee accounts of poor work quality and management decisions have led many to question the effectiveness of Boeing’s previous improvements.
New Production Process Improvements
Lund mentioned that due to the earlier Max crisis, Boeing introduced reforms in its engineering practices. The recent incident, however, necessitated improvements in the production process. With the discovery of this accident, the company had an opportunity to inspect different areas of their operation.
Insights into the January Incident
Production Challenges and Rectifications
Boeing’s factory received the plane body involved in the January flight in the summer of 2023 with five rivets not meeting specifications. As it moved through the factory, Boeing and Spirit decided to replace the defective rivets, despite nearing the last stages of the plane’s assembly. The door plug panel was removed to fix the issue with the rivets, but its removal was not adequately documented. In the absence of proper records, employees failed to replace the four bolts securing the door, contributing to the incident. The panel endured about 500 flight hours before blowing out about 16,000 feet mid-air.
Boeing attracted criticism from the National Transportation Safety Board, which was investigating the incident for failing to maintain proper documentation related to the door plug removal. The Federal Aviation Administration, Boeing’s primary regulator, has demanded the company to implement significant improvements in their quality assurance.
Additional Quality Improvement Measures
Other improvements by Boeing, according to Lund, include extensive training for new staff prior to beginning work on the planes and comprehensive on-the-job training. The company has also deployed over 160 workplace coaches comprising veteran and retired mechanics to assist new workers.
Boeing is investing efforts to simplify various plans and procedures, increasing inspections and internal monitoring while focusing on encouraging employees to vocalize their concerns about quality. They have collected thousands of recommendations and comments to improve quality. Furthermore, Boeing is diligently working to minimize the occurrence of out-of-sequence work known as traveled work, which opens up the risk of making mistakes and potentially other related problems. The company stated that adherence to stricter requirements before allowing planes to move down the production line and additional measures have helped them reduce traveled work by more than 50 percent, as highlighted by Lund.
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