Boeing discovered another problem in some of its 737 fuselages that could delay deliveries of about 50 aircraft in the latest quality gaffe to plague the manufacturer.
Improperly drilled holes were discovered by Spirit AeroSystems, a major supplier that provides Boeing with fuselages, according to a letter from Stan Deal, CEO of Boeing’s commercial airplanes division.
“While this potential condition is not an immediate safety issue and all 737s can continue operating safely, we currently believe we will have to perform rework on about 50 undelivered planes,” Deal said in a letter to employees shared Monday.
A door plug area of an Alaska Airlines Boeing 737 Max 9 aircraft awaiting inspection is pictured Jan. 10 with paneling removed at the airline's facilities at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport in SeaTac, Wash.
Boeing and Spirit AeroSystems face intense scrutiny over the quality of their work after an Alaska Airlines 737 Max 9 was forced to make an emergency landing on Jan. 5 when a panel called a door plug blew out of the side of the plane shortly after takeoff from Portland, Oregon.
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The NTSB is investigating the accident, while the Federal Aviation Administration investigates whether Boeing and its suppliers followed quality-control procedures.
Shares of the The Boeing Co., already down 20% this year, slipped another 3% at the opening bell Monday.
Problems with Boeing jets opened a potential rift with some of its biggest customers. United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby said last month that the carrier will consider alternative aircraft in the future, and Alaska Airlines CEO Ben Minicucci told NBC Nightly News that “I am more than frustrated and disappointed. I am angry.”
A Boeing 737 Max jet prepares to land Sept. 30, 2020, at Boeing Field after a test flight in Seattle.
Alaska Airlines and United Airlines, the only other U.S. airline flying the Max 9, reported finding loose hardware in door plugs of other planes they inspected after the accident. The FAA grounded all Max 9s in the U.S. the day after the blowout. Two weeks later, the agency approved the inspection and maintenance process to return the planes to flying.
Alaska Airlines and United Airlines have begun returning some to service.
Boeing, based in Arlington, Virginia, said last week it withdrew a request for a safety exemption needed to certify a new, smaller model of the 737 Max airliner. Boeing asked federal regulators late last year to allow delivery of its 737 Max 7 airliner to customers even though it does not meet a safety standard designed to prevent part of the engine housing from overheating and breaking off during flight.
Today in history: Feb. 5
1937: Franklin D. Roosevelt
In 1937, President Franklin D. Roosevelt proposed increasing the number of U.S. Supreme Court justices; the proposal, which failed in Congress, drew accusations that Roosevelt was attempting to “pack” the nation’s highest court.
1971: Apollo 14
In 1971, Apollo 14 astronauts Alan Shepard and Edgar Mitchell stepped onto the surface of the moon in the first of two lunar excursions.
1983: Klaus Barbie
In 1983, former Nazi Gestapo official Klaus Barbie, expelled from Bolivia, was brought to Lyon, France, to stand trial. (He was convicted and sentenced to life in prison -- he died in 1991.)
1993: Family and Medical Leave Act
In 1993, President Bill Clinton signed the Family and Medical Leave Act, granting workers up to 12 weeks unpaid leave for family emergencies.
2008: Maharishi Mahesh Yogi
In 2008, Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, a guru to the Beatles who introduced the West to transcendental meditation, died at his home in the Dutch town of Vlodrop; he was believed to be about 90.
2012: New York Giants
Ten years ago: Eli Manning and the Giants one-upped Tom Brady and the Patriots again, coming back with a last-minute score to beat New England 21-17 for New York’s fourth NFL title in Super Bowl XLVI.
2014: CVS
In 2014, CVS Caremark announced it would pull cigarettes and other tobacco products from its stores.
2017: The New England Patriots
In 2017, Tom Brady led one of the greatest comebacks in sports history highlighted by a spectacular Julian Edelman catch that helped lift New England from a 25-point hole against the Atlanta Falcons to the Patriots’ fifth Super Bowl victory, 34-28, the first ever in overtime.
2018: Jerome Powell
In 2018, Jerome Powell was sworn in as the 16th chairman of the Federal Reserve.
2020: Impeachment
In 2020, the Senate voted to acquit President Donald Trump, bringing to a close the third presidential trial in American history, though a majority of senators expressed unease with Trump’s pressure campaign on Ukraine that resulted in the two articles of impeachment. Just one Republican, Mitt Romney of Utah, broke with the GOP and voted to convict.
2023: Beyoncé
In 2023, Beyoncé won her 32nd Grammy to become the most decorated artist in the history of the award.
