US aviation regulator the FAA has said it is to more closely check and monitor the production and manufacturing of Boeing aircraft following an incident last week when a 737 Max 9 aircraft lost a door plug from the fuselage while in flight.
Minutes after Alaska Airlines flight 1282 took off from Portland International Airport, Oregon on Friday January 5 a window and chunk of fuselage tore away from the aircraft. The blowout, which occurred at 16,000ft luckily only resulted in minor injuries for passengers.
Following the grounding of the aircraft and the start of an investigation, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said it is to conduct an audit of the Boeing 737-9 Max production line and its suppliers to evaluate Boeing’s compliance with its approved quality procedures. The regulator said the results will determine whether additional audits are necessary.
It will also increase its monitoring of Boeing 737 9 Max in-service events.
The regulator will also assess the safety risks around its policies of delegated authority and quality oversight and examine of Boeing’s aircraft, and consider options to move these functions under independent, third-party entities.
FAA Administrator Mike Whitaker said, “It is time to re-examine the delegation of authority and assess any associated safety risks.
“The grounding of the 737 9 and the multiple production-related issues identified in recent years require us to look at every option to reduce risk. The FAA is exploring the use of an independent third party to oversee Boeing’s inspections and its quality system.”
These measures follow the FAA formally notifying Boeing that it has launched an investigation into the company as a result of the incident yesterday. The investigation will determine if Boeing failed to ensure completed products conformed to its approved design and complied with FAA regulations.
The FAA has also grounded all of the 171 Boeing 737-9 MAX aircraft currently in operation, mainly with Alaska Airlines and United Airlines.
Boeing CEO admitted the company had made mistakes with the 737 Max 9 at a meeting earlier this week.
