Boeing again 47

[3DDave]

Downloading now, at the speed of glacier. Looks like 10-20 minutes to get it. I'm on a 1Gb fiber connection that doesn't slow for anything.

Edit: Timed out and died. Sigh.

 

[JohnRBaker]

The report seems to imply that the bolts may indeed have been in place when the fuselage was originally assembled but that during the final assembly of the aircraft itself, the plug door had to be removed so that some rivets could be replaced. This was done in the Boeing assembly plant in Renton, Washington, but the work was done by employees of Spirit AeroSystems, the company that manufactured the fuselage. The issue is that it appears that when the plug door was reinstalled, that the four retaining bolts were missed, and there seems to be photographic evidence that the bolts were not there when the work was finished.

John R. Baker, P.E. (ret)
Irvine, CA
Siemens PLM:

The secret of life is not finding someone to live with
It's finding someone you can't live without

 

[hokie66]

Yes, they were removed and not reinstalled.

 

[LittleInch]

Best to keep all the comments on the plug door on the other dedicated thread?

This is for other issues with Boeing.

Remember - More details = better answers
Also: If you get a response it's polite to respond to it.

 

[Alistair_Heaton]

Its linked to the QA system. They were running a semi unofficial snag log which wasn't linked to the official build QA system.

I say semi because the local inspectors must have known it was being used. And all the workers as well.

I suspect in the official spirit documentation they will have a sign off that they were installed.

The rectification work was put into the unofficial snag book which doesn't carry the jobcard sign offs and audit checks that the official one does.

 

[LionelHutz]

From that whistleblower story it sounded like it was just a wrong procedure. The Boeing manufacturing requirements were something along the lines of "opening" the door didn't require a jobcard and sign-offs but "removing" it did. To me, that sounds like the requirements were simply wrong, possibly copied from a door and not modified properly for the plug. Opening and closing a door wouldn't require removing and replacing hardware.

 

[BridgeSmith]

Best to keep all the comments on the plug door on the other dedicated thread?

This is for other issues with Boeing.

Sorry, I didn't realize there was a thread for that specifically. I'll look for it.

 

[SnTMan]

More trouble for Boeing it appears:

LAtesT nEwS, LOL

The problem with sloppy work is that the supply FAR EXCEEDS the demand

 

[Sym P. le]

... and my car struggles to maintain velocity when the gas tank is empty? Or maybe they meant the helium tanks.

 

[dik]

That's like the old joke about the 4 engine aircraft... one engine fails and the pilot announces that they will be delayed 15 minutes... a little while later he announces that a second engine has failed and that they will be delayed half an hour... a little while later he announces that a third engine has failed and that they will be delayed an hour... a lady passenger comments that she hopes the fourth engine doesn't fail, because they will be up there forever.

-----*****-----
So strange to see the singularity approaching while the entire planet is rapidly turning into a hellscape. -John Coates

-Dik

 

[JohnRBaker]

Took longer than I had expected...

Boeing ousts head of 737 Max program in management shake-up

Boeing EVP Stanley A. Deal announced Wednesday that Ed Clark, the head of the company’s Boeing’s 737 Max program, was leaving the company.

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/rcna139831

Looking at the details of these changes at the executive level, of which there were several, I'm not sure how the Right is going to react as at least two of these involved women, one being promoted to replace Ed Clark, the former head of the 737 Max program, and another, whose being given the responsibility for quality programs across the entire company. After all, there have been comments made recently that Boeing's quality issues are directly linked to their DEI efforts.

John R. Baker, P.E. (ret)
Irvine, CA
Siemens PLM:

The secret of life is not finding someone to live with
It's finding someone you can't live without

 

[Brian Malone]

Ed Clark's CV does not appear to be DEI (Masters, Aeronautics, 30+ years in the industry, male, white, english first language). So the guy who was in charge the 737 program seems not to match the reason for failure touted by some. More than likely there is a counterpart to him at Spirit that is in the hotseat, too.

 

[Sym P. le]

Maybe you forgot CHUTZPAH, but who am i to say?

 

[dik]

Is it possible that Boeing's problems are solved, now that they have a scapegoat?

 

[hokie66]

I fail to see what is wrong with DEI. Diligence, Effectiveness, and Intelligence are good qualities.

 

[dik]

with Boeing?

-----*****-----
So strange to see the singularity approaching while the entire planet is rapidly turning into a hellscape. -John Coates

-Dik

 

[Alistair_Heaton]

The max 10 certification is being pushed back to 2027 according to an industry brief I got recently. Due in part to this issue

Why it's being mentioned to me is market projection of my fleet type A220.

What with the Neo engine issues...

This summer is already crazy in Europe.

USA short haul carriers must be struggling as well.

 

[LittleInch]

Interesting article here.

https://www.theguardian.com/business/article/2024/jun/01/boeing-safety-crisis-response-union-busting

Remember - More details = better answers
Also: If you get a response it's polite to respond to it.

 

[Brian Malone]

The Guardian story shows the intracies of the internal workings at Boeing. I am not a strong supporter of union membership necessarily indicating proficiency of work or increased final product safety. The quotes from the union-represented mechanics are strong and attention getting , but are the statements made with no ulterior motives?

 

[SWComposites]

Brian - the union members comments are no more “self serving” than management’s comments, and likely a lot less so. After this long running series of “problems” (to be polite), its long past time to listen to the people actually building the airplanes.