A new Boeing 737 MAX production defect has just been discovered. The most concerning part? It has been going on for up to four years, and apparently no one noticed…
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Boeing’s new 737 MAX production issue
Spirit AeroSystems is the company that produces the fuselage of the Boeing 737 MAX, at its facility in Wichita, Kansas.
On Wednesday, April 12, 2023, the company notified Boeing that “a non-standard manufacturing process” has been used for the installation of two fittings at the vertical tail of the aircraft. Specifically, two of the eight points where the vertical fin is attached to the fuselage don’t conform to Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) regulatory requirements.
As it’s described by Spirit AeroSystems, the company has “identified a quality issue on the aft fuselage section of certain models of the 737 fuselage that Spirit builds,” and the company is “working to develop an inspection and repair for the affected fuselages.”
This applies to the 737 MAX 7 and 737 MAX 8, but doesn’t apply to the 737 MAX 9.
The most shocking part is that this production issue allegedly dates back up to four years, meaning the wrong process has potentially been used since 2019. As many will remember, the 737 MAX was grounded in 2019, and the FAA was supposed to closely scrutinize every aspect of the aircraft prior to once again declaring the plane fit to fly. How exactly has this defect been going on for four years, without being noticed?
The FAA has issued the following statement regarding this situation:
“Based on the facts and data Boeing presented, the FAA validated the company’s assessment that there is no immediate safety issue. The FAA is in close communication with Boeing and will continue to evaluate all new affected airplanes prior to delivery.”
So, ummm, the FAA is claiming there’s no safety risk based on the data presented by Boeing? It seems taking Boeing at its word hasn’t exactly been a best practice, historically.
What this means for Boeing 737 MAX deliveries
Boeing 737 MAX deliveries have been increasing significantly in recent months, so what does this latest update mean? It’s expected that deliveries of the 737 MAX will be substantially slowed down. This discovery will require undelivered aircraft, including those currently on the assembly line and those waiting to be delivered, to be inspected and potentially reworked.
It remains to be seen what happens to existing aircraft. All parties claim that this doesn’t pose any immediate safety risks. It’s likely that at a minimum, all planes delivered with this defect will need to be inspected, and they might also need to have some changes made. Boeing states it will provide additional information in the days and weeks ahead, as it better understands the delivery impacts.
Bottom line
The Boeing 737 MAX has a new issue, as the company that produces the fuselage has allegedly been using “a non-standard manufacturing process” for years. One has to wonder how this flew under the radar for so long, especially as the aircraft faced so much scrutiny from regulators.
This development isn’t good news for airlines that were hoping to take delivery of Boeing 737 MAXs soon, as that timeline is potentially being pushed back quite a bit.
What do you make of this latest Boeing 737 MAX issue?
This sounds like a job for SUPER MCAS!
Another regulatory body may be required to assess how the FAA audits airplane manufacturers.
I wouldn't put my ex on a 737 MAX! What a MAJOR POS by a SCAM ARTIST big company who's only goal is to enrich the top 1% of the Boeing company! Wish they would go out of business over this FIASCO!
It's amazing how the Boeing Haters crawl out of the woodwork at every opportunity.
The sub contractor discovered that THEIR manufacturing process did not meet FAA and Boeing's requirements and informed Boeing who did the right thing and informed the FAA. OPEN and TRANSPARENT.
You've never heard of any Airbus problems. Do you actually think that they never had any? Mysterious crashes in the early days of fly-by-wire blamed on "pilot error"? CG problems...
It's amazing how the Boeing Haters crawl out of the woodwork at every opportunity.
The sub contractor discovered that THEIR manufacturing process did not meet FAA and Boeing's requirements and informed Boeing who did the right thing and informed the FAA. OPEN and TRANSPARENT.
You've never heard of any Airbus problems. Do you actually think that they never had any? Mysterious crashes in the early days of fly-by-wire blamed on "pilot error"? CG problems with some A320 models that required modified seating plans. (It it even fixed?) What else have you not heard about?
Your article was mentioned in this video at the 1:05 mark..
https://youtu.be/V3qnEKV51bM
We feel so much safer to fly the Max, now that
1- the FAA indicates they are satisfied with Boeing answers on this fuselage issue
2- the involved subcontractor indicates that these fuselage issues actually date back to 2019.
It seems that history is repeating itself. Noone is actually responsible for the future disasters. As always. Airlines who knowingly continue to buy/lease these aircrafts should be held responsible by their shareholders.
...
We feel so much safer to fly the Max, now that
1- the FAA indicates they are satisfied with Boeing answers on this fuselage issue
2- the involved subcontractor indicates that these fuselage issues actually date back to 2019.
It seems that history is repeating itself. Noone is actually responsible for the future disasters. As always. Airlines who knowingly continue to buy/lease these aircrafts should be held responsible by their shareholders.
The FAA lack of credibility is once again blatant.
Until the first Boeing managers actually are sentenced to do time nothing will change.
This flawed design should have never been made. It will forever be plagued with issues. This is just the latest.
Immediate Airworthiness Directive to ground all the ships effected so the problem can be rectified before there's another avoidable disaster.
Yes airlines, it will be very expensive and inconvenient. You shoulda thought about that before you bought/leased this proven dog of an aircraft instead of the A320 family.
How many people have made the argument that the 737 Max would be safest ever plane because of all of the massive scrutiny they faced...
Seems clear nothing has changed at Boeing or for US government. Just collect the salaries and bonuses today and cross your fingers that the next crash is after they have moved to a new company.
Yet another reason to avoid ALL Boeing aircraft whenever possible.
Doesn’t Boeing’s new business model require two crashes killing hundreds before they address manufacturing defects?
Nope, their business model always involves death. Boeing's Ground Launched Small Diameter Bomb can precisely crash in a 3 ft. area from 90 miles away, and probably killed thousands in Ukraine already.
Their flagship WMD, the Minuteman ICBM. Capable of 60x-70x Hiroshima from 6000 miles away in 30 mins. Who cares about accuracy, with 400 of these we can wipe out a whole continent killing few billions.
So 737MAX death is really no big deal for Boeing as a death dealer.
@vlcnc - I believe it was 2 fatal crashes. Not "several". But yes, hundreds died.
Just the cost of doing business.
How long did the Govt spend inspecting the 737Max prior to signing off on them again? Supposedly making it now the most scrutinized and inspected plane in history? And yet, still, no one discovered this until now?
So, I wonder, what were they doing for two years? The blundering of Boeing and safety inspectors regarding the MAX is truly frightening.
Things are clearly not ok at Boeing, and they need to be investigated and sanctioned. This is not a small company, it is literally one of two manufacturers in the world in a duopoly which means it has major ramifications for the safety of people travelling on its aircraft. They've already been found out to have gross negligence in terms of safety and there have been several fatal crashes with hundreds losing their lives. I...
Things are clearly not ok at Boeing, and they need to be investigated and sanctioned. This is not a small company, it is literally one of two manufacturers in the world in a duopoly which means it has major ramifications for the safety of people travelling on its aircraft. They've already been found out to have gross negligence in terms of safety and there have been several fatal crashes with hundreds losing their lives. I personally don't feel particularly safe flying their aircraft atm and particularly the 737. It also feels like the US government is also involved in covering up and not maintaining standards in an effort of protectionism, because they see it as such an important company even as it is safety risk.
Boeing is the example par excellence of late-stage Capitalism run amok.
Until and through the '90s, the company was an engineering icon. Who here hasn't heard the annoying "if it ain't Boeing, I ain't going" mantra, which honestly was well-earned at the time.
But post the '97 MDC merger, some of the worst managerial actions began to spell the current situation:
First, and most devastatingly, they separated management from engineering with "The Chicago Move."...
Boeing is the example par excellence of late-stage Capitalism run amok.
Until and through the '90s, the company was an engineering icon. Who here hasn't heard the annoying "if it ain't Boeing, I ain't going" mantra, which honestly was well-earned at the time.
But post the '97 MDC merger, some of the worst managerial actions began to spell the current situation:
First, and most devastatingly, they separated management from engineering with "The Chicago Move." That right there, is the genesis of just about everything that we're seeing.
Afterwords, they gradually shifted from producer to overseer, using as many outsourced minimum-bid components and labor as possible. Toss in a lil' union busting back in Washington state, while we're at it.
Most recently, they've completed the evolution from engineering firm to lobbying-arm by moving from Chicago to the D.C. area. And all the while, in all of this, worrying far more about the current share price (what else is your C-suite bonus gonna be based on) than anything to do with product or output.
And thus you have the Boeing of 2023.
Boeing of 1996 wouldn't even recognize her.
I wonder what this means for Virgin Australia’s delivery? They are meant to receive their first MAX in the coming months in order to fulfil their slot obligations for HND, with delivery pushing close to their deadline for using the slot. If their delivery is delayed would this mean they lose their HND slot?
Looks like I got my answer c/o Executive Traveller: https://www.executivetraveller.com/news/virgin-australia-boeing-737-max-delivery-delay