The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) found that Boeing failed to comply with manufacturing quality control requirements in “multiple instances,” following a six-week audit the aviation safety regulator launched in response to a nearly catastrophic Jan. 5 incident involving an Alaska Airlines 737 Max 9 aircraft.
The FAA’s audit found shortcomings in both Boeing and Spirit AeroSystems, an aerospace company and a key builder for Boeing’s 737 fuselages.
“The FAA identified non-compliance issues in Boeing’s manufacturing process control, parts handling and storage, and product control,” FAA said in its release.
The agency did not release a full report but said its latest update is part of its ongoing investigation.
What the FAA has said about Boeing so far
The audit is one of several key actions the agency has taken following the Alaska Airlines 1282 flight that saw a door plug fly off mid-flight.
In January, a preliminary report (pdf) conducted by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), found that the Alaska jet involved had been delivered without the four bolts intended to hold the door plug in place.
By February, the agency had placed Boeing on a performance improvement plan, essentially giving it 90 days to come up with a comprehensive plan that would address its “systemic quality-control issues.”
Earlier that month, the regulator limited Boeing’s production of its 737 Max jet. During that time, the FAA’s chief administrator, Mike Whitaker, said the agency would have more “boots on the ground” at Boeing and Spirit AeroSystem’s respective facilities. Just days prior, Boeing’s general manager, Ed Clark, said he would be leaving the aircraft maker after nearly two decades.
As part of the agency’s ongoing investigation, the regulator said it will review all of Boeing’s “corrective actions” to determine whether Boeing has completely addressed the FAA’s findings.
Just last week, Arlington, Virgina-based Boeing said it had been in talks to acquire Wichita, Kansas-based Spirit AeroSystems.