Finance

‘Not Where We Need to Be’: Boeing to Make Changes in Quality Control

Boeing said Monday that it would make changes to quality control processes after one of its 737 Max 9 jets lost a portion of its body during a nearly catastrophic Alaska Airlines flight this month.

The aircraft manufacturer said it would add additional inspections at its own factory and at that of an important supplier, Spirit AeroSystems, which installs the plug for unused exit doors, one of which blew out of the Max 9 midflight. Both companies will also open their factories to more scrutiny by the airlines that fly the 737 by inviting them to conduct more inspections of the manufacturing process. And Boeing will bring in an outside party to review its quality control program and suggest improvements.

Alaska Airlines flight 1282 on Jan. 5 was forced to make an emergency landing after a door plug blew off, without any serious injuries to people on board. The Federal Aviation Administration grounded all Max 9 planes and said it would expand its scrutiny of Boeing. Inspections of the planes led Boeing to conclude that its manufacturing practices needed improvement.

“The AS1282 accident and recent customer findings make clear that we are not where we need to be,” Stan Deal, the chief executive of Boeing’s commercial plane unit, said in a memo to employees on Monday. “To that end, we are taking immediate actions to bolster quality assurance and controls across our factories.”

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