FAA probes potential flaws in Boeing’s manufacturing process

Alaska Airlines to cancel all Boeing 737 Max 9 flights through Saturday

The FAA grounded some Boeing 737 Max 9 aircraft Saturday after last week’s high-profile incident involving a jet operated by Alaska Airlines. A door-like panel flew off during a flight, leaving a gaping hole in the plane. The incident terrified passengers and renewed scrutiny of a company that manufactured planes involved in two fatal air crashes in 2018 and 2019. The announcement Thursday marks the beginning of a broader probe into potential problems with the aircraft after the FAA said it was informed of “discrepancies” on other Max 9s.

“This incident should have never happened and it cannot happen again,” the agency said in a statement. “Boeing’s manufacturing practices need to comply with the high safety standards they’re legally accountable to meet.”

The FAA formally notified the company about the investigation in a letter sent Thursday. The National Transportation Safety Board is also investigating Friday’s incident.”

In a statement Boeing said, “We will cooperate fully and transparently with the FAA and the NTSB on their investigations.”

What happened on the Alaska Airlines flight after the door plug blew out?

Boeing’s chief executive told employees during a company meeting Tuesday that the aerospace giant will acknowledge its “mistake” and be transparent as it attempts to move forward after the grounding of dozens of its 737 Max 9 aircraft over safety concerns.

“We’re going to approach this No. 1 acknowledging our mistake,” Dave Calhoun said, according to excerpts provided by the company. “We’re going to approach it with 100% and complete transparency every step of the way.”

The FAA previously announced it was grounding 171 Boeing Max 9 planes until formal inspections of the aircraft could be done. However, airlines have not been able to begin formal inspections due to a lack of clarity from Boeing and the FAA, which has a formal procedure required for the planes to resume flying. Alaska and United Airlines are the only two U.S. carriers that have the Boeing Max 9 planes in their fleets.

The National Transportation Safety Board, which is leading the investigation into the Jan. 5 accident, has recovered the part, known as a door plug, which investigators say will provide valuable clues as to why the part failed.