Boeing 737 MAX Fails FAA Audit, Whistleblower Found Dead

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) examined Boeing’s 737 MAX production process after a fuselage panel blew off an Alaska Airlines jet in January, and 33 of 89 audits failed, according to The New York Times on Monday.

According to the New York Times, Boeing failed a check dealing with the component that blew off the jet, known as a door plug, in the extensive examination, citing an FAA presentation seen by the NYT.

The supplier Spirit AeroSystems, which manufactures the MAX fuselage, passed six of 13 audits and failed the rest, according to the report. Additionally, an audit at Spirit focusing on the door plug component revealed five faults and failed the one dealing with the component’s installation, according to the report.

The audit expressed concerns about the technicians who completed the job and discovered that the company “failed to determine the knowledge necessary for the operation of its processes,” according to the report.

Spirit also failed examinations involving a cargo door and the installation of cockpit windows, according to the report.

Based on the FAA audit, Boeing is continuing to implement immediate adjustments and formulating a plan to improve safety and quality, according to an emailed statement.

The FAA and Spirit AeroSystems did not immediately respond to Reuters’ requests for comment.

Earlier in the day, U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg stated that he expected Boeing to participate in the Justice Department and National Transportation Safety Board investigations into the 737 MAX 9 mid-air disaster on January 5.

The FAA’s Michael Whitaker stated that the agency and Boeing plan to establish the goals that the firm must reach in order to increase the MAX manufacturing pace over the next 30 days.

Last Monday, the government stated that it discovered “non-compliance issues in Boeing’s manufacturing process control, parts handling and storage, and product control”.

Meanwhile, New Zealand’s Transport Accident Investigation Commission announced on Tuesday that it has seized the cockpit voice recorder and flight data recorder of a Latam AM Airlines Boeing 787 following a mid-air mishap that injured around 50 persons.

According to local media sources, the aircraft’s abrupt drop in altitude caused passengers to fly into the cabin’s roof before descending back to the floor.

The airline did not identify the nature of the technical issue. According to the Sydney Morning Herald, the pilot said that his gauges went blank and he was unable to fly the jet.

There were no significant injuries, however seven of the 263 passengers and three of the nine crew members on Latam aircraft 800 were transported to the hospital after landing in Auckland.

According to the New Zealand accident investigator, Chilean officials said they had begun a probe into the flight and were collaborating with their investigations. The flight was en route from Sydney to Santiago, Chile, via Auckland.

A TAIC spokeswoman stated that given the incident on Monday’s Sydney-Auckland flight happened in international airspace, it was up to Chile’s accident investigation body, Direccion General de Aeronautica Civil (DGAC), to launch an investigation.

“TAIC is in the process of gathering evidence relevant to the inquiry, including seizing the cockpit voice and flight data recorders,” the agency said in a statement. The so-called “black boxes” will reveal further information about the flight’s course and communications between pilots.

The DGAC said in a statement that it was collaborating with TAIC on the probe. LatamTAM did not immediately answer to a question about whether it had delivered the black boxes to TAIC. Earlier on Tuesday, the airline stated that it will assist the relevant authorities with any investigations.

According to safety experts, the majority of aircraft accidents are caused by a complex combination of variables that must be thoroughly explored.

The Civil Aviation Authority of New Zealand said in a statement that it will cooperate with the probe if necessary.

The duration of cockpit recordings has resurfaced in the aviation industry, following the discovery that voice recorder data on the Alaska Airlines Boeing 737 MAX 9 jet that lost a panel mid-flight in January was rewritten.

Boeing whistleblower found dead

In other Boeing News, a notable Boeing whistleblower, a former quality manager who expressed concerns about manufacturing methods at the company’s 787 Dreamliner factory in South Carolina, was found dead on Saturday of an alleged self-inflicted gunshot wound.

John Barnett, a whistleblower, was in Charleston for a deposition in a case in which he claimed Boeing retaliated against him for complaining about quality and safety.

Boeing has struggled with quality issues in both design and manufacture for years, most notably following the disasters of two Boeing 737 Max jets in 2018 and 2019, as well as when a fuselage panel blew off on a Max flight shortly after takeoff two months ago.

Mr. Barnett filed the complaint against Boeing with the U.S. Labor Department in 2017 under the AIR21 Whistleblower Protection Program, which shields employees of aircraft manufacturers who report information about airline safety issues. He quit the company that year.

The Charleston County Coroner’s Office confirmed the death, stating that it seemed to be “a result of a self-inflicted gunshot wound.”

In a statement, the Charleston Police Department stated it was investigating the coroner’s findings. “Detectives are actively investigating this case and are awaiting the formal cause of death, along with any additional findings that might shed further light on the circumstances surrounding the death of Mr. Barnett,” the department stated in a statement.