Boeing has made a significant move by removing the head of its 737 MAX passenger jet program following a recent midair incident involving an American Airlines flight. The incident, where a door plug blew out, has raised concerns about the safety and quality control of Boeing aircraft.
The latest shakeup comes after a series of issues with the 737 MAX program over the past five years. This marks the first time heads have rolled since the Alaska Airlines flight door plug blowout in January and the subsequent NTSB preliminary report that revealed critical oversights in the installation of door plug bolts by Boeing.
The individual bearing the consequences of these incidents is Ed Clark, the fifth head of the 737 MAX program to be fired due to ongoing problems. The program has been under scrutiny since the fatal crashes in 2018 and 2019 that resulted in 346 deaths and a lengthy grounding of the planes.
Boeing CEO Dave Calhoun has acknowledged the company's role in the recent issues but maintains that Boeing airplanes are safe. The company has also appointed a new senior vice president to oversee quality control, reflecting Boeing's commitment to addressing concerns about its manufacturing processes.
As investigations into the MAX planes continue, both the NTSB and the FAA are actively looking into the recent incident and broader quality control practices at Boeing's facilities. The FAA has halted production of the 737 MAX 9 at Boeing's Renton plant and is conducting a thorough audit with the involvement of multiple inspectors.
Boeing has initiated a quality stand down to gather feedback from employees and improve production practices. There are also discussions about potentially bringing more manufacturing processes in-house to enhance oversight and quality assurance.
Overall, the recent developments at Boeing underscore the company's commitment to addressing safety concerns and improving its operations to ensure the reliability of its aircraft.
