U.S. regulators say some Boeing 737 MAX planes may have faulty parts

[webfact]

U.S. regulators say some Boeing 737 MAX planes may have faulty parts

By David Shepardson

 

FILE PHOTO: An aerial photo shows Boeing 737 MAX airplanes parked at the Boeing Factory in Renton, Washington, U.S. March 21, 2019. REUTERS/Lindsey Wasson/File Photo

 

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration on Sunday disclosed a new problem involving Boeing Co's grounded 737 MAX, saying that more than 300 of that troubled plane and the prior generation 737 may contain improperly manufactured parts and that the agency will require these parts to be quickly replaced.

 

The FAA said up to 148 of the part known as a leading-edge slat track that were manufactured by a Boeing supplier are affected, covering 179 MAX and 133 NG aircraft worldwide. Slats are movable panels that extend along the wing's front during takeoffs and landings to provide additional lift. The tracks guide the slats and are built into the wing.

 

The 737 MAX, Chicago-based Boeing's best-selling jet, was grounded globally in March following a fatal Ethiopian Airlines crash after a similar Lion Air disaster in Indonesia in October. The two crashes together killed 346 people. Boeing has yet to submit a software upgrade to the FAA as it works to get approval to end the grounding of the 737 MAX.

 

In a statement issued after the FAA announcement, Boeing said it has not been informed of any in-service issues related to this batch of slat tracks.

 

Boeing, the world's largest plane maker, said it has identified 20 737 MAX airplanes most likely to have the faulty parts and that airlines will check an additional 159 MAXs for these parts.

 

Boeing said it has identified 21 737 NGs most likely to have the suspect parts and is advising airlines to check an additional 112 NGs. The NG is the third-generation 737 that the company began building in 1997.

 

The affected parts "may be susceptible to premature failure or cracks resulting from the improper manufacturing process," the FAA said.

The FAA said a complete failure of a leading edge slat track would not result in the loss of the aircraft, but a failed part could cause aircraft damage in flight.

 

The FAA said it will issue an Airworthiness Directive to require Boeing's service actions to identify and remove the parts from service. It said operators will be required to perform this action within 10 days, but can continue to fly the planes during the 10-day period before the parts are removed.

 

FINANCIAL IMPACT ON BOEING

Boeing in April said the two fatal crashes had cost it at least $1 billion as it abandoned its 2019 financial outlook, halted share buybacks and lowered production. The company's shares have fallen by nearly 20 percent since the Ethiopian Airlines crash in March.

 

Some international carriers are skeptical the plane will resume flying by August as some U.S. airlines have suggested.

 

Tim Clark, president of Emirates, told reporters in Seoul that it could take six months to restore operations as other regulators re-examine the U.S. delegation practices. "If it is in the air by Christmas (Dec. 25) I'll be surprised - my own view," he said.

 

Boeing said one batch of slat tracks with specific lot numbers produced by a supplier was found to have a "potential nonconformance" and said airlines "are to replace them with new ones before returning the airplane to service."

 

The company said it is "now staging replacement parts at customer bases to help minimize aircraft downtime while the work is completed." Boeing said once new parts are in hand, replacement work should take one to two days.

 

A separate service bulletin will go to 737 MAX operators to do inspections before the MAX fleet returns to service.

 

The FAA said Boeing has identified groups of both 737 NG and 737 MAX airplane serial numbers on which these suspect parts may have been installed, including 32 NG and 33 MAX in the United States.

 

The issue was discovered following an investigation conducted by Boeing and the FAA Certificate Management Office, the FAA said. An FAA spokesman said the issue should not delay Boeing's planned submission of a software update and training revisions, but it remains unclear when that will be submitted.

 

The FAA has said it has no timetable for ending the grounding of the airplane. Boeing said last month it completed its software upgrade but was still working to address information requests from the FAA before it can schedule a certification test flight and submit final certification documentation.

 

Reuters reported last month that the FAA has indicated privately to other regulators that it aims to certify new software by the end of June, after which it would take several weeks at a minimum to get planes flying.

 

Acting FAA Administrator Dan Elwell told reporters on May 23 in Texas after a meeting with more than 30 international air regulators that the agency had not decided yet on training requirements.

 

(Reporting by David Shepardson; Editing by Will Dunham)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2019-06-03

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[toenail]

Sad how this iconic aerospace corporation “bit itself in the butt”by allowing corporate capitalists put profits over quality and safety. (There are enough news articles, Boeing employee and pilot interviews, and documentation one can research on their own to make this conclusion.)

And it was also unacceptable  how the FAA basically allowed Boeing to self-certify itself. Corporate America has too much influence in Washington ????

[zydeco]

It's clear that this jet is a lemon. Scrap it. Make Boeing start all over with a real design that is aerodynamically safe and structural sound.

[MartinKal]

19 minutes ago, toenail said:

Sad how this iconic aerospace corporation “bit itself in the butt”by allowing corporate capitalists put profits over quality and safety. (There are enough news articles, Boeing employee and pilot interviews, and documentation one can research on their own to make this conclusion.)

And it was also unacceptable  how the FAA basically allowed Boeing to self-certify itself. Corporate America has too much influence in Washington ????

Toenail, if you had ever set foot in the aircraft manufacturing sector, youd know that self-certification is not possible, nor do manufacturers want it.

Expertise is shared, people change jobs, and there are lots of well-paid freelance projects for the high-skills demanded.

But there is also governance and exttemely detailed processes and configuration management and shareholders and other stakeholders.

Even so, errors got through to airline operations. Perhaps we have reached the limits of our ability to manage complexity? Maybe Artificial Intelligence and 5G will allow another leap forward.

[jollyhangmon]

1 hour ago, toenail said:

Sad how this iconic aerospace corporation “bit itself in the butt”by allowing corporate capitalists put profits over quality and safety. (There are enough news articles, Boeing employee and pilot interviews, and documentation one can research on their own to make this conclusion.)

And it was also unacceptable  how the FAA basically allowed Boeing to self-certify itself. Corporate America has too much influence in Washington ????

 

Not a bad summary, this one:

 

 

[Con Peoples Fund]

1 hour ago, zydeco said:

It's clear that this jet is a lemon. Scrap it. Make Boeing start all over with a real design that is aerodynamically safe and structural sound.

singapore airlines still insist on going ahead with 20 737 max. obviously something wrong here.

[newnative]

5 hours ago, zydeco said:

It's clear that this jet is a lemon. Scrap it. Make Boeing start all over with a real design that is aerodynamically safe and structural sound.

Yes, I was just going to say the same thing.  Lemon.

[Burma Bill]

5 hours ago, Con Peoples Fund said:

singapore airlines still insist on going ahead with 20 737 max. obviously something wrong here.

Easy solution - do not fly Singapore Airlines!

[Burma Bill]

I have just watched a report about this on BBC World News and I was astounded to see that faulty software and faulty parts were used in the manufacture of a brand new airplane!

[connda]

More like faulty software, faulty design, faulty management - just faulty.  

I won't fly in one. 

[tifino]

I presume the leading slat reference has something to do with the faulty design of their Leading Edge end of travel limiting bolt... where survival of the entire plane revolves round the security of a simple basic washer!

[Dumbastheycome]

Greed too often replaces considerations of safety in many situations. When evidence of it being knowingly allowable in  passenger aircraft it  should  be accounted for to the ultimate degree of  culpable liability!

That these latest revelations of sub standard components is only as the result of the  tragic accidents due to  uninformed software inclusions only amplifies the arrogance of the  Boeing company in sanctioning the use  of such components. I feel confident in making that conclusion due to the admission of  such  faulty  components being part of the construction of  aircraft prior to the 737 Max.

As an American  based  company this  should  be  an indication  of  why  MAGA should be  viewed  with some intense cause for  doubt!

[Tug]

I’d fly on the 737 any time Boeing would not ruin there company by allowing the ac back in service after what’s happened without fixing it

[SOTIRIOS]

...duhh...do you expect shareholders to be objective about this travesty....???

[Tug]

1 minute ago, SOTIRIOS said:

...duhh...do you expect shareholders to be objective about this travesty....???

Boeing isent stupid after what’s happened they and the Ntsb wouldn’t allow the ac to fly without the issues being resolved