The Federal Aviation Administration said on Friday that it was expanding its scrutiny of Boeing and increasing oversight of the company by reviewing the production of the 737 Max 9, a week after a panel in the fuselage of one of those planes exploded during flight. .
Later Friday night, the FAA said it had ordered an initial round of inspections of the panel — a seal into which an exit door can fit in a different configuration — on 40 Max 9 planes before it approved Boeing’s proposed inspection and maintenance instructions for all Airplanes grounded. Max 9S. The agency said it needed more information about the inspection process before it could approve Boeing’s distribution guidance.
The 171 grounded planes in the United States will not be allowed to fly again until they are inspected, which could take several days, though perhaps much longer, once the FAA approves the inspection.
About 20 percent of Alaska Airlines’ fleet consists of Max 9 aircraft, and the company has already been forced to cancel nearly as many flights in recent days as a result of the grounding. United Airlines is the largest US user of the plane, although the plane makes up only 8% of the company’s larger fleet.
“We are working to make sure something like this never happens again,” the FAA administrator said. Mike Whitaker said in a statement. He added: “Our only concern is the safety of American passengers, and the Boeing 737-9 MAX will not return to the sky until we are completely certain that it is safe.”
The audit will evaluate whether Boeing and its suppliers have adhered to approved quality control practices. The FAA also said it would closely examine problems with the Max 9 and investigate safety risks associated with the agency’s practice of outsourcing some oversight to certified Boeing employees, which some lawmakers and safety experts criticized after two 737 Max 8 crashes that resulted in crashes. 346 people killed. .
“It is time to reconsider delegation of authority and assess any associated safety risks,” Mr Whittaker said in an earlier statement. “The grounding of the 737-9 and multiple production-related issues identified in recent years require us to consider every option to mitigate risk.”
There were no serious injuries as a result of last week’s accident, but the accident could have been much more catastrophic if it had occurred while the plane was at cruising altitude; The door plug exploded when the plane was at 16,000 feet and still climbing after takeoff from Portland, Oregon.
Alaska Airlines and United Airlines have canceled Max 9 flights through Tuesday. Alaska said up to 150 daily flights were affected, while United said it had about 200 daily flights, on average, planned on the Max 9. Airlines replaced new planes to carry some flights and rebooked customers to minimize disruption. Both said their technicians have begun examining the planes and will share their findings with the FAA
“As we have said before, these aircraft will not fly until they are approved and we are confident they are 100 percent safe,” United said in a statement.
Alaska Airlines also said specially trained crews will begin transporting some Max 9 planes to its maintenance bases on flights without passengers or flight attendants.
The Federal Aviation Administration on Thursday announced an investigation into whether Boeing failed to ensure the plane was up to standards and safe to operate.
Boeing said in a statement that it welcomed “the FAA’s announcement and will cooperate fully and transparently with our organization.”
The company added: “We support all measures that enhance quality and safety, and are taking action across our production system.”
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has for years outsourced to corporate employees some oversight of the certification of aircraft and aircraft parts. After a lengthy investigation into the design, development and certification of the Max, House Democrats criticized the practice, saying the agency had outsourced significant responsibilities to Boeing employees, who may not be sufficiently independent.
On Friday, Mr. Whitaker, whose appointment as FAA administrator was confirmed by the Senate in October, said he would be willing to give the program another look. He also said the agency is considering using an independent third party to oversee Boeing’s inspections and its quality system.
Some aviation experts say the practice is necessary given the FAA’s limited resources, and that changing it would require Congress to give the agency more money and authority to hire more professionals.
Arjun Garg, a former senior adviser and acting administrator of the FAA, said the agency does not have the resources to examine every aspect of the plane. Bringing in all the work that has been delegated to Boeing and other manufacturers in the aerospace industry would overwhelm the agency’s work force and budget, Garg said.
“I don’t think you can blame Congress or the FAA,” he added. “This is how the system was designed given the need for safety monitoring and the practicality of resource constraints.”
Outsourcing oversight is common among regulatory agencies, but a Government Accountability Office report in 2022 found that the FAA did not review the practice as closely as the European Union’s aviation safety agency. That year, the FAA said it had strengthened oversight of the practice by better protecting authorized company employees from interference.
A day before the FAA’s statement, Sen. Maria Cantwell, the Washington state Democrat who leads the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee, called on the FAA to increase its oversight of manufacturers, including contractors like Spirit AeroSystems, which produces fuselages. The 737 Max for Boeing.
“The public deserves a comprehensive assessment of Boeing and Spirit AeroSystems for enhancing production quality and aviation safety,” Ms. Cantwell said in a statement on Friday.