These are now three of the four models of commercial aircraft manufactured by the American group Boeing which are officially targeted by an investigation by the American Civil Aviation Regulatory Agency (FAA).
The regulator, which took restrictive measures for the manufacturer to remedy “non-compliance” problems identified on the 737 family, also supervises the 787 Dreamliner and the 777, the integrity of whose structures has been called into question by Sam Salehpour, a quality engineer for the aircraft manufacturer. These revelations come at a time when the group is going through severe turbulence due to a succession of problems with the production and operation of its aircraft for more than a year.
A hearing is scheduled in the U.S. Senate on April 17, titled “Examining Boeing’s Broken Safety Culture: Eyewitness Accounts.” This will involve addressing the “alarming and dangerous production failures” reported by the whistleblower called to testify, Democratic Senators Richard Blumenthal and Republican Senator Ron Johnson said in a joint statement.
“Shortcuts” in the assembly process
Sam Salehpour, who has worked at Boeing for more than a decade, accused the planemaker of “repeatedly ignoring serious concerns about safety and quality control in the manufacturing of the 787 and 777 aircraft,” according to a letter dated January 17, sent by his lawyers to the head of the FAA, Mike Whitaker.
“Our client has identified significant areas of safety concern and has done everything possible to attract the attention of Boeing officials,” explain lawyers Debra Katz and Lisa Banks, in this letter made public after published information Tuesday, April 9 by the New York Times.
“We are thoroughly investigating all reports,” the FAA said, without commenting on this matter specifically, in a statement sent to Agence France-Presse.
In his alert sent to the regulator, Sam Salehpour explains having noted “shortcuts” in the Dreamliner assembly process which notably caused a “deformation of the composite materials (…), which could alter wear performance in the long term “. According to him, more than a thousand Dreamliners in service could have this problem located at “two important junctions”. According to the New York Times, this engineer claims that sections of the Dreamliner “are improperly attached together and could separate from each other in mid-flight after completing thousands of flights.”
Concerning the 777, he claims that “new assembly procedures” implemented without carrying out “the necessary redesign of the parts concerned resulted in poor alignment of the parts”. According to him, “Boeing engineers were pressured to turn a blind eye” when this “also constitutes a serious security risk”.
Boeing rejects accusations
Boeing rejected the accusations, saying it had “full confidence in the 787 Dreamliner,” without commenting on the 777 at this point. “These claims about the structural integrity of the 787 are unfounded and do not represent the extensive work that Boeing has accomplished to ensure the long-term quality and safety of the aircraft,” it said in a statement.
“The reported issues underwent a rigorous engineering review under FAA oversight,” the group continued, assuring that they presented “no safety concerns and [that] the aircraft will be[it] operational for several decades.” Deliveries of the 787 Dreamliner were suspended for almost two years, in 2021-2022, due to operational issues.
Boeing assured Tuesday that the 787 was designed for 44,000 pressurization cycles – the most demanding for the fuselage -, or 44,000 flights, but having been tested up to 165,000 cycles “without signs of fatigue”. The oldest, which entered service in 2012, currently has around 16,500 flights, Boeing said.
Sharp decline in deliveries
The aircraft manufacturer has been under scrutiny since an incident on January 5 on an Alaska Airlines 737 MAX 9, delivered in October, from which a door cap came off in flight. The accumulation of incidents got the better of boss Dave Calhoun, who will leave at the end of 2024, and some of the group’s leaders. Mr. Calhoun was appointed to turnaround Boeing after the crash of two 737 MAX 8s due to design flaws in 2018 and 2019, which left 346 dead.
On Tuesday, an Air Canada Boeing 737 MAX 8 flying from Mexico City to Vancouver, Canada, landed in Idaho, United States, as a precaution after a warning light came on. The warning was identified as a faulty cargo hold indicator, the Canadian airline said, without giving further details.
On Sunday, a Boeing 737-800 was forced to turn around in the United States after an engine cowling fell during takeoff. This incident occurred after another Southwest Airlines Boeing 737 experienced Thursday, which had to cancel its takeoff “after the crew reported engine problems,” the FAA said in a statement.
Furthermore, the aircraft manufacturer’s deliveries marked a sharp decline in the first quarter of 2024 compared to the same period of the previous year, the American manufacturer having slowed down its production rates due to production problems. Over the first three months of the year, Boeing returned 83 planes to their owners – including 66 copies of the 737 MAX -, compared to 130 a year earlier, according to data published Tuesday.
