FAA chief says ‘we’ve sort of stopped trying’ to predict when Boeing Max 9 flights will resume
24 January 2024
WICHITA, Kan. (KSNW) — In the face of increased scrutiny over the quality of its airplanes, Boeing plans to hold Quality Stand Downs at some of its plants starting Thursday.
This photo released by the National Transportation Safety Board shows a gaping hole where the paneled-over door had been at the fuselage plug area of Alaska Airlines Flight 1282. (National Transportation Safety Board via AP)
The most recent attention came after an Alaska Airlines Boeing 737 Max 9 plane lost a panel of its fuselage in midflight earlier this month, leaving a gaping hole.
The panel is a plug that Wichita’s Spirit AeroSystems installs in Max 9 fuselages.
Both Boeing and Spirit have said they are supporting the National Transportation Safety Board’s investigation.
Boeing said its 737 factory teams will hold a Quality Stand Down in Renton, Wash., on Thursday. More Quality Stand Downs will occur at other Boeing factories and fabrication sites over the next few weeks.
The company says production, delivery and support efforts will pause for a day so teammates can take part in working sessions focused on quality. Employees will participate in “hands-on learning, reflection and collaboration to identify where quality and compliance can be improved.”
Stan Deal, Boeing Commercial Airplanes president and CEO, says the sessions allow all teammates who touch the airplane to “pause, evaluate what we’re doing, how we’re doing it, and make recommendations for improvement.”
KSN News asked Spirit AeroSystems if it plans similar Quality Stand Downs.
“Spirit is conducting ongoing quality reviews with our teams,” Forrest Gossett, Spirit’s senior manager of Corporate Communications, said. “We remain focused on the quality of each aircraft structure that we send to customers.”