background
The traditional American company Boeing has been in crisis for years – but for a few weeks now the series of breakdowns at the aircraft manufacturer has shown no sign of stopping. What has happened so far? An overview.
In the Boeing merchandise shop you can still find T-shirts and key chains with the message that was long used by the aircraft manufacturer’s passengers: “If it’s not Boeing, I’m not going!” (If it’s not Boeing, then I’m not coming). For some time now, the saying has been turned negative: “If it’s Boeing, I ain’t going.”
Passengers are now discussing in forums how they can find out whether they are flying on a Boeing plane – and then change the flight. The aviation giant’s image is more than just tarnished. This is also due to the recent series of breakdowns and the crashes of the 737 Max aircraft about five years ago. What happened last?
whistleblower allegations, Production problems
In April, the US aircraft manufacturer had to defend itself against new allegations of poor quality of its aircraft. Boeing rejected criticism from an employee that some 787 “Dreamliner” aircraft could have a shortened service life. The group took technical “shortcuts” to speed up production.
In the first quarter of the year, Boeing only delivered 66 examples of the 737 Max series. In the first quarter of 2023 there were still 111 machines. The majority of the remaining deliveries were of the long-haul model 787 “Dreamliner”. However, production of the wide-body jets is at a standstill because Boeing needs its capacity to solve the problems with other types.
Lost cover, Engine fire
Also in April: A Southwest Airlines plane lost a cover on one of its engines during takeoff from Denver. The fairing part hit the landing flap. The Boeing 737-800 then returned safely to Denver airport, the company said.
In the same month, a US airline Southwest Airlines had to abort take-off due to an engine fire. The airline said the pilots received “an indication of a possible engine problem” and the Boeing 737 returned to the gate at Lubbock Preston Smith International Airport in the US state of Texas. The fire department confirmed a fire in one of the two engines. The Federal Aviation Administration is investigating.
Brake problems, boss change, lost coverage
After an incident in March with a Boeing 737 Max aircraft, the US National Transportation Safety Board submitted a preliminary report. The pilot then stated that the brakes appeared to be less effective than usual. The plane and the brake pedals shook violently just before the United Airlines plane drove off a runway onto a grassy area at Houston Airport. There it crashed into a concrete building at 40 kilometers per hour and was seriously damaged – the left main landing gear broke off. None of the passengers or crew members were injured.
Boeing has repeatedly been accused of sacrificing quality and safety in order to achieve higher returns. Boeing boss David Calhoun, who took office at the beginning of 2020, tried to get the manufacturer back on the road to success – without much luck. A few weeks after the near-miss of an Alaska Airlines plane, the company initiated a change in management in March. Calhoun will leave the post at the end of the year. Chairman of the Board of Directors Larry Kellner and head of the commercial aircraft division, Stan Deal, are also leaving.
Also in March: Boeing loses billions due to the authorities’ strict requirements after the near-accident of a medium-haul jet. In the first quarter, the group is expected to lose four to $4.5 billion, said Boeing CFO Brian West. Boeing shares have lost almost 30 percent of their value since the beginning of the year.
In the middle of the month, a United Airlines passenger plane lost a cover on its fuselage in flight. The damage to the Boeing 737-800 was only discovered on the ground after the plane landed without problems in the state of Oregon, United said.
Ex-manager dead, technical problems, investigation by the US judiciary
Also in March: A former Boeing manager who had repeatedly publicly criticized the company for alleged safety problems was found dead in the USA. Police in Charleston said 62-year-old John Barnett probably killed himself in front of a hotel in South Carolina. Barnett had long worked for Boeing as a quality manager before leaving the company in 2017. Since then, he has shared his concerns with journalists about what he sees as inadequate conditions in the production of Boeing aircraft.
In the same month, at least 50 people were injured in an incident on a flight between Sydney, Australia and Auckland, New Zealand. A “technical problem” caused severe turbulence on board the Boeing 787-9 “Dreamliner”, reported Radio New Zealand, citing the Chilean airline LATAM. The plane was able to land in Auckland as planned in the late afternoon.
Also in March: After the near-accident with a Boeing 737-8 Max at the beginning of January, the US Department of Justice also began an investigation. The affected airline, Alaska Airlines, said it was cooperating with the investigation and did not believe it was being targeted.
Lost wheel, incorrectly drilled holes, missing Quality management
In the same month, a United Airlines Boeing 777 lost a wheel while taking off from San Francisco. The plane with around 250 people on board, which was actually supposed to fly to Japan, landed in Los Angeles a short time later without any problems. United stressed that passenger planes are designed to land with missing or damaged tires. A Boeing 777 has six wheels on each side under the wings.
In March, new questions about quality management at Boeing emerged following criticism from US accident investigators: the investigative agency has been trying in vain for weeks to get documents on the work on the fuselage part that was torn off during a flight at the beginning of January, said its boss Jennifer Homendy at one Hearing. “Either they exist and we don’t have them – or they don’t exist at all,” she emphasized. In both cases questions arise. Boeing said that if the work “had not been documented, there would be no documents that could be shared.”
The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) denounced Boeing’s quality assurance deficiencies in March following an investigation. There is confusion among employees about their role in safety management because procedures and training are complex and constantly changing, a report said. In discussions it was doubted that there would be no need to fear negative consequences for internal reports of quality problems. The Commission was concerned that this could discourage Boeing workers from reporting problems.
In February, Boeing investigated a new problem with its 737 Max aircraft – but according to the company’s current assessment, only around 50 machines that have not yet been delivered need to be reworked. A supplier informed Boeing that two holes in the fuselage of some aircraft may not have been drilled exactly according to requirements, the aircraft manufacturer said. The head of the passenger aircraft division, Stan Deal, emphasized that the “potential problem” does not pose an immediate problem for flight safety and that the 737 aircraft can continue to operate.
Lost fuselage part, loose parts
During inspections of Boeing 737 Max 9 aircraft in January, the US airline United Airlines found loose screws on the fuselage component that had broken off during the flight of an Alaska Airlines plane. A United spokeswoman did not say how many planes had the problem. The airline has a total of 79 aircraft of this type.
On January 5th, shortly after take-off, a fuselage fragment broke out of a virtually new Boeing 737 Max 9 from the US airline Alaska Airlines. The more than 170 people on board largely escaped horror. However, it was only by a stroke of luck that the two seats near the hole in the fuselage remained empty and the aircraft was still at a relatively low altitude.
During investigations it turned out that four fastening bolts were missing from the fuselage part. The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is now scrutinizing the production and quality assurance of Boeing and its fuselage supplier Spirit Aerosystems. The US Department of Justice is also investigating. In addition, Boeing is not allowed to increase production of the 737 Max series to more than 38 machines per month for the time being.
Two fatal crashes of the 737 Max
In 2018 and 2019, Boeing had already been in the worst crisis in its history for several years. Around five years ago, two 737 Max aircraft crashed within a few months of each other. In October 2018, a medium-haul jet of the series crashed in Indonesia and shortly afterwards in March 2019, a plane of the same type in Ethiopia. 346 people were killed.
After the two fatal crashes, the model was grounded for more than 20 months starting in March 2019. Only after technical improvements was the plane gradually re-registered. The disaster cost the manufacturer billions.
Boeing in focus
Even minor incidents involving Boeing aircraft are currently attracting a lot of attention. However, experts point out that it is not always the aircraft manufacturers who are responsible for this, but also the airlines. Data from the American National Transportation Safety Board and the Seattle Times newspaper indicate that there have been more incidents with Boeing aircraft on passenger flights in the USA since 2020 than with its competitor Airbus.
However, it is also pointed out that significantly more Boeing aircraft than Airbus fly in the USA. In 2023, there were 23 safety-related incidents at Boeing and eleven at Airbus.