News: Boeing 737 Max engine issue and audit fails

[Arcadia]

https://www.nytimes.com/2024/03/11/us/politics/faa-audit-boeing-737-max.html

"For the portion of the examination focused on Boeing, the F.A.A. conducted 89 product audits, a type of review that looks at aspects of the production process. The plane maker passed 56 of the audits and failed 33 of them, with a total of 97 instances of alleged noncompliance, according to the presentation.

The F.A.A. also conducted 13 product audits for the part of the inquiry that focused on Spirit AeroSystems, which makes the fuselage, or body, of the 737 Max. Six of those audits resulted in passing grades, and seven resulted in failing ones, the presentation said.

At one point during the examination, the air-safety agency observed mechanics at Spirit using a hotel key card to check a door seal, according to a document that describes some of the findings. That action was “not identified/documented/called-out in the production order,” the document said.

In another instance, the F.A.A. saw Spirit mechanics apply liquid Dawn soap to a door seal “as lubricant in the fit-up process,” according to the document. The door seal was then cleaned with a wet cheesecloth, the document said, noting that instructions were “vague and unclear on what specifications/actions are to be followed or recorded by the mechanic.”

Asked about the appropriateness of using a hotel key card or Dawn soap in those situations, a spokesman for Spirit, Joe Buccino, said the company was “reviewing all identified nonconformities for corrective action.

... The F.A.A. said it could not release specifics about the audit because of its active investigation into Boeing in response to the Alaska Airlines episode. In addition to that inquiry, the National Transportation Safety Board is investigating what caused the door panel to blow off the plane, and the Justice Department has begun a criminal investigation.

During the F.A.A.’s examination, the agency deployed as many as 20 auditors at Boeing and roughly half a dozen at Spirit, according to the slide presentation. Boeing assembles the 737 Max at its plant in Renton, Wash., while Spirit builds the plane’s fuselage at its factory in Wichita, Kan.

The audit at Boeing was wide ranging, covering many parts of the 737 Max, including its wings and an assortment of other systems.

Many of the problems found by auditors fell in the category of not following an “approved manufacturing process, procedure or instruction,” according to the presentation. Some other issues dealt with quality-control documentation.

“It wasn’t just paperwork issues, and sometimes it’s the order that work is done,” Mike Whitaker, the F.A.A. administrator, said at a news conference on Monday. “Sometimes it’s tool management — it sounds kind of pedestrian, but it’s really important in a factory that you have a way of tracking tools effectively so that you have the right tool and you know you didn’t leave it behind. So it’s really plant floor hygiene, if you will, and a variety of issues of that nature.”

One audit dealt with the component that blew off the Alaska Airlines jet, known as a door plug. Boeing failed that check, according to the presentation. Some of the issues flagged by that audit related to inspection and quality-control documentation, though the exact findings were not detailed in the presentation.

The F.A.A.’s examination also explored how well Boeing’s employees understood the company’s quality-control processes. The agency interviewed six company engineers and scored their responses, and the overall average score came out to only 58 percent.

One audit at Spirit that focused on the door plug component found five problems. One of those problems, the presentation said, was that Boeing “failed to provide evidence of approval of minor design change under a method acceptable to the F.A.A.” It was not clear from the presentation what the design change was.

Another audit dealt with the installation of the door plug, and it was among those that Spirit failed. The audit raised concerns about the Spirit technicians who carried out the work and found that the company “failed to determine the knowledge necessary for the operation of its processes.”

Other audits that Spirit failed included one that involved a cargo door and another that dealt with the installation of cockpit windows."

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/boeing-737-max-engine-fix-tammy-duckworth/

"Boeing told lawmakers its planned fix for an engine issue on all 737 Max jets will take up to a year, delaying certification of the 737 Max 7 and Max 10 airliners.

In written responses to questions from Sen. Tammy Duckworth, chair of the Senate Subcommittee on Aviation Safety, obtained exclusively by CBS News, Boeing says it has assembled a team of technical experts to "quickly drive forward a safe and compliant solution" to an issue that could cause the 737 Max engine anti-ice system to overheat and damage the engine.

Boeing officials had previously indicated they were aiming for a fix to be ready in nine to 12 months."

[prairiewindmomma]

Downfall: The Case Against Boeing on Netflix gives additional background and insight into Boeing’s longstanding issues and how they have handled things.

[Faith-manor]

And a dead whistleblower too. I don't really buy the "self inflicted wound" line. Not saying it isn't, just that at the moment it seems mighty convenient for them!

[Arcadia]

https://abc7news.com/united-flight-missing-panel-sfo-medford-oregon/14529741/

"The airport's director, Amber Judd, said the plane landed safely without incident and the external panel was discovered missing during a post-flight inspection.

The panel found to be missing was on the underside of the aircraft where the wing meets the body and just next to the landing gear, United said.

... The Boeing 737-800 plane had 139 passengers and six crew members onboard.

United says it will "thoroughly examine the plane and perform repairs and conduct an investigation to know how the damage occurred."

Boeing said, also via email, that it would defer comment to United about the carrier's fleet and operations. Its message included a link to information about the airplane that was involved, and it was said to be more than 25 years old."

[mommyoffive]

 

 

I am watching this right now.  

[Halftime Hope]

So without getting into too many details, dh worked in aerospace for a manufacturer. One of the serious concerns that motivated dh in his role as a problem-solver (yes, he had a problem-solving certification, but it wasn't under that name) was that he would be able to sleep at night knowing that his work made sure lives were not lost due to equipment failure.

Dh worked on several projects that tie to concerns mentioned above in this thread. At the beginning of his time with this manufacturer, they were upgrading from paper to digital work instructions. Each component, no matter how small, had a written step regarding the specifics of correct installation. This included everything from "tighten it this much" to "use the jig for hole placement" to "this composite has to be cured for this long at that humidity, and if you drop a tool on it, it will no longer be impervious to radar."

Every part had to be precisely interchangeable with another same part, so that in theatre, if mechanics were replacing something, it would always fit correctly and not be jury-rigged; jury-rigging something could cost a life.

Two issues he worked on in response to corrective action reports were very serious, and one was mentioned above:  tooling has to be correct. You can't have guys on the manufacturing line looking for a tool, any old tool will do, and the next thing you know, they've screwed something up. Every tool was marked and had its own marked, precisely carved out "nest", and guys watching the line were to report if someone used an unauthorized tool. There were also very specific instructions/rules on taking care of tools. At the beginning of the shift and at the end of the shift, all hands did a "FOD walk", looking for foreign object debris in the workspace, on the floor, etc.

That last paragraph leads to another thing not mentioned as a defect in the Boeing debacle, but very important. When people had extra tools, there were locked bins that the tools went in, and a specific authorized process to put the tools in the proper place on the line. Similarly, any cutoffs, extra materials, extra parts, any items left over went into locked bins. This was to prevent someone from fishing out an extra bit of this or that and making do. Every item on a ship had to be the correct part made to the right specs and tolerances, so people didn't get hurt due to shoddy, piecemeal manufacturing.

Anyway, I thought it might be fun to share a bit of what should be going on.  The hotel key card or Dawn dishwashing soap to ease in a door gasket? Heck no; I'm absolutely certain that is not part of anyone's work instructions.