Boeing, $BA, failed 33 of 89 audits conducted by the FAA after one of its 737 MAX 9 jets experienced a mid-flight door plug blowout.
As an investigation begins into the incident involving a LATAM Airlines flight from Sydney, Australia, to Auckland, New Zealand, which left 50 passengers injured on Monday, new information has emerged regarding another Boeing audit conducted by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) that found significant issues.
The audit focused on the production of Boeing's 737 Max aircraft, prompted by an incident involving Alaska Airlines Flight 1282 from Portland, Oregon, to Ontario, California, in January. During that flight, a door plug blew out mid-air on a 737 Max 9 jet, leading to an emergency landing. Boeing reportedly failed 33 of the audit's 89 sections, with regulators identifying 97 instances of alleged non-compliance with the company's best practices.
The Alaska Airlines incident raised concerns about the safety of the 737 Max 9 jet and Boeing's production standards. Preliminary findings from the National Transportation Safety Board's investigation into the Alaska flight revealed that four key bolts intended to hold the door plug in place were missing from the aircraft, suggesting that they were not reinstalled during the plane's manufacturing process.
Following the incident, both Alaska Airlines and United Airlines reported finding loose hardware on their grounded 737 Max 9 aircraft. The FAA is conducting an ongoing investigation into Flight 1282 to determine the cause of the incident and whether Boeing failed to ensure the safe operation of its aircraft in compliance with FAA regulations.
It's important to note that LATAM Airlines Flight 800 involved a different Boeing aircraft model, the 787, which is larger than the 737 Max 9. While the Alaska flight had 174 passengers and six crew members, the LATAM flight was carrying around 260 passengers and nine crew members when it experienced a sudden drop. The impact caused some passengers to hit the aircraft's ceiling, resulting in injuries to around 50 passengers, with 13 taken to hospitals for treatment after landing.
LATAM Airlines stated that the flight experienced technical issues that caused the aircraft to move abruptly. The airline expressed regret for any inconvenience and injury caused to passengers and emphasized its commitment to safety.
New Zealand's Transport Accident Investigation Commission announced that it would retrieve the cockpit voice recorder and flight data recorder from the aircraft to learn more about the incident.
