The American aircraft manufacturer Boeing is facing new difficulties in the production of 737series to fight. Boeing said about 50 planes not yet delivered needed rework because two holes had been drilled in the wrong place. As a result, deliveries will most likely be delayed, Stan Deal, head of the civil aircraft division, said in a letter to employees.
Responsible for the error on short- and medium-range aircraft is not Boeing itself, but the supplier Spirit Aerosystems. Spirit builds the hulls at its factory in Wichita, Kansas 737. From there they are transported by rail to Boeing’s Renton plant near Seattle. The final assembly of the aircraft takes place there. Spirit notified Boeing of the error late Thursday. The two holes were drilled too close to a window frame. This may compromise the long-term durability of the fuselage.
The new accident itself is not particularly serious: such manufacturing defects occur repeatedly and can usually be fixed permanently by repairs. But at Boeing and Spirit the problem of holes adds to a long series of setbacks. On January 5th there was one 737-9 At Alaska Airlines, a disabled emergency exit panel fell off during the flight because four screws were not secured or not secured at all. Fortunately, no one on board was injured and the plane was able to land safely in Portland, Oregon.
According to initial internal investigations, Boeing employees removed the part during final assembly to repair holes and a seal where Spirit had performed improperly. Apparently the Boeing men used the component improperly. An initial investigation report from the National Transportation Safety Board’s (NTSB) Accident Investigation Board is expected in the coming days.
The US Federal Aviation Administration then decided to take a closer look at Boeing’s production. The FAA only wants 38 machines in the future 737-series per month from the final assembly line, at least until they are convinced that the production quality is right. The latest accident is another setback for Boeing and Spirit in this regard.
Boeing is not providing any information on how long repairs to the affected window frames might take or how long they will delay deliveries. However, civil division chief Deal and Boeing chief David Calhoun stressed that quality and safety come first. To send a clear signal, Boeing did not publish any forecasts on financial indicators and delivery targets when it presented its annual results for 2023 last week. “Now is not the time for this,” Calhoun said. There is currently no need for further pressure on production.
It is also unclear how many machines have already been delivered with incorrectly positioned holes. Boeing stressed that there is no safety risk. Even the FAA has not yet acted.
