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Boeing, not Spirit, mis-installed piece that blew off Alaska MAX 9 jet, industry source says
Jan. 24, 2024 at 6:00 am Updated Jan. 24, 2024 at 6:04 am
By Dominic Gates, Seattle Times aerospace reporter
The fuselage panel that blew off an Alaska Airlines jet earlier this month was removed for repair then reinstalled improperly by Boeing mechanics on the Renton final assembly line, a person familiar with the details of the work told The Seattle Times.
If verified by the National Transportation Safety Board investigation, this would leave Boeing primarily at fault for the accident, rather than its supplier Spirit AeroSystems, which originally installed the panel into the 737 MAX 9 fuselage in Wichita, Kan.
That panel, a door plug used to seal a hole in the fuselage sometimes used to accommodate an emergency exit, blew out of Alaska Airlines Flight 1282 as it climbed out of Portland on Jan. 5. The hair-raising incident drew fresh and sharp criticism of Boeing’s quality control systems and safety culture, which has been under the microscope since two fatal 737 MAX crashes five years ago.
Last week, a different person — an anonymous whistleblower who appears to have access to Boeing’s manufacturing records of the work done assembling the specific Alaska Airlines jet that suffered the blowout — on an aviation website separately provided many additional details about how the door plug came to be removed and then mis-installed.
“The reason the door blew off is stated in black and white in Boeing’s own records,” the whistleblower wrote. “It is also very, very stupid and speaks volumes about the quality culture at certain portions of the business.”
The self-described Boeing insider said company records show
four bolts that prevent the door plug from sliding up off the door frame stop pads that take the pressurization loads in flight, “were not installed when Boeing delivered the airplane.” the whistleblower stated. “Our own records reflect this.”
NTSB investigators already publicly raised the possibility that the bolts had not been installed.
UPDATE FAA blocks Boeing production push but clears way for MAX 9s to fly again
The account goes on to describe shocking lapses in Boeing’s quality control process in Renton.
The work of the mechanics on the door plug should have been formally inspected and signed off by a Boeing quality inspector.
It wasn’t, the whistleblower wrote, because of a process failure and the use of two separate systems to record what work was accomplished.
Boeing’s 737 production system is described as “a rambling, shambling, disaster waiting to happen.”
If that account of what happened is indeed fully documented in Boeing’s system it should be readily verified by the investigation.
The Seattle Times offered Boeing the opportunity to dispute the details in this story. Citing the ongoing investigation, Boeing declined to comment. Likewise, so did Spirit, the FAA, the Machinists union and the NTSB.
A convincing account
Passengers on Flight 1282 were traumatized when a door-sized section of the 737 MAX 9 fuselage exploded out 16,000 feet over Portland.
The door plug that blew out is a panel used to seal a fuselage cutout for an optional emergency exit door that is installed only by a few airlines with high-density seating. To a passenger seated at that location, it looks like just another cabin window.
The incident has proved a monumental setback for Boeing, drawing outrage and mockery across the world.
With large fleets of MAX 9 aircraft still grounded almost three weeks later, the chief executives of both Alaska and United on Tuesday sharply criticized Boeing.
“I’m more than frustrated and disappointed,” Alaska CEO Ben Minicucci told NBC News. “I am angry.”
It was clear soon after the incident that the plug must have been mis-installed.
When the cabin is pressurized, six small stop fittings on either side of the plug press against corresponding stop pads on the door frame.