According to CCTV International News, on January 12th local time, the Federal Aviation Administration of the United States issued a statement stating that it will "significantly strengthen its supervision of Boeing," including a "new round of review of the Boeing 737 MAX 9 aircraft production line and its suppliers.". In addition, the agency will review the decision to delegate some authority to Boeing and consider transferring some authority to an independent third party.
Federal Aviation Administration Director Mike Whittaker stated in an interview with Consumer News and Business Channel (CNBC) that the Boeing 737 MAX 9 aircraft has "significant issues". Whittaker said, "We know that Boeing has had manufacturing issues in the past, and these issues are still ongoing. We believe there are other manufacturing issues.".
Boeing 737 MAX 9 aircraft
Whittaker also refused to provide a timetable for approving the go-around of Boeing 737 MAX 9 aircraft. Boeing did not immediately comment on the statement from the Federal Aviation Administration of the United States. On the US stock market, Boeing (BA)'s stock price fell 2.23%, evaporating a market value of $3 billion (approximately RMB 21.5 billion).
Since last Saturday, Alaska Airlines and United Airlines have cancelled hundreds of flights, and this escalating crisis has once again damaged Boeing's reputation.
Multiple 737MAX 9 bolts are loose
Director FAA: This is a manufacturing issue
According to Caixin, some safety experts believe that a comprehensive review of Boeing's production is unusual, indicating that the FAA is becoming increasingly concerned about the recent door detachment on Alaska Airlines aircraft and the subsequent discovery of similar loose door bolts by two American airlines.
FAA Director Mike Whittaker stated that the Boeing 737 MAX 9 will not be approved for a go around until we are confident that similar serious malfunctions will not occur again. "I think transferring the aircraft safety certification work to a third-party organization may be an option."
Whitaker believes that the problem with the Boeing 737 MAX 9 is a manufacturing issue, not a design issue, and mentions Boeing's years of failures. He said, "No matter what happens, it cannot solve the problem and requires extensive review. We are increasingly focusing on the aircraft manufacturing process."
Captain Ed Sicher, the Chairman of the Joint Pilot Association representing 15000 pilots of American airlines, said that given Boeing's recent issues, such supervision is "inevitable". "People are increasingly skeptical and scrutinizing this once excellent brand, and now everyone believes that there is a need to strengthen regulation."
Xinhua News Agency reported that the Federal Aviation Administration of the United States officially notified Boeing on January 11th to conduct an investigation into its quality control issues. The Federal Aviation Administration said in a statement that the investigation will determine whether Boeing has failed to ensure that its finished products "meet approved design standards" and whether Boeing complies with the Federal Aviation Administration's airworthiness standards and is in safe operating condition.
A Boeing 737 MAX 9 passenger plane of Alaska Airlines experienced an accident in the air shortly after takeoff from Portland on the 5th of this month. It immediately made an emergency return and a door in the rear section of the cabin that could be used as an emergency exit fell off in mid air. On the 6th, the Federal Aviation Administration of the United States ordered a temporary suspension of 171 Boeing 737 MAX 9 aircraft operated by American airlines or within the United States for safety inspections. Subsequently, both Alaska Airlines and United Airlines, two airlines in the United States that own Boeing 737 MAX 9 aircraft, reported that during the inspection process, it was found that the Boeing 737 MAX 9 aircraft had some loose components or some bolts that needed to be further tightened. According to statistics, Boeing has delivered 218 737 MAX 9 aircraft worldwide.
An emergency landing aircraft. CCTV News
Reuters reported on January 7th, citing the European Aviation Safety Agency, that the aviation safety regulatory agency has adopted the Federal Aviation Administration's emergency airworthiness directive for Boeing 737 MAX 9 aircraft. In addition, the UK aviation safety regulatory agency also requires Boeing 737 MAX 9 aircraft operators to comply with the Federal Aviation Administration's grounding and inspection instructions before entering UK airspace.
Why can't Boeing tighten the bolts?
According to CCTV News on January 6th, Alaska Airlines stated in a statement that its Boeing 737 MAX 9 aircraft, with flight number 1282, flew from Portland, Oregon to Ontario, California on the same day. Shortly after takeoff, the aircraft experienced an accident and immediately returned. At that time, the plane was carrying 171 passengers and 6 crew members. It is reported that the 737MAX9 aircraft operating this flight is only 0.3 years old, with registration number N704AL. The New York Times reported that the aircraft was certified in November 2023 and put into commercial service that month. Since then, it has operated 145 flights.
The aircraft involved in the accident experienced three instances of automatic pressurization malfunction lights turning on within a month. Homendi said that the repeated pressure increase alarms "made investigators very uneasy", but it is currently unclear whether there is a connection between the issue and the accident that occurred on the 5th.
Public information shows that the Boeing 737MAX series aircraft are the latest generation of single channel narrow body passenger planes, including the Boeing 737 MAX7, Boeing 737 MAX8, 737 MAX9, 737 MAX10, and Boeing 737 MAX200. The first aircraft made its debut on December 8, 2015 and completed its maiden flight on January 29, 2016.
In October 2018 and March 2019, there were air crashes on flights of Lion Air Indonesia and Ethiopian Airlines, resulting in a total of 346 fatalities. The crashed planes were both Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft. The Boeing 737 MAX aircraft was subsequently grounded in multiple countries and regions around the world for nearly two years.
According to China News Agency, in April last year, Boeing was exposed to have manufacturing issues with some 737 MAX series aircraft, allegedly due to a supplier using "non-standard manufacturing processes". However, Boeing insisted at the time that the issue did not constitute a safety hazard. In December last year, multiple American media outlets also revealed that a key component of a Boeing 737 MAX aircraft had been found to have problems with a certain airline, including loose or even missing bolts in the steering system.
After the 2019 Ethiopian Airlines Boeing 737 Max crash, four former and current Boeing employees reported safety hazards related to the series of aircraft to the FAA. Some analysts believe that the consecutive quality issues reflect Boeing's corporate culture of "catching up on schedule" and "controlling costs". The company's management only focuses on accelerating production progress and reducing manufacturing costs, rather than safety and quality.
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