A number of significant oversights have occurred in the manufacturing of aircraft produced by

Boeing The Boeing Company, or simply Boeing (), is an American multinational corporation that designs, manufactures, and sells airplanes, rotorcraft, rockets, satellites, and missiles worldwide. The company also provides leasing and product support s ...

. Such oversights have been reported in the news as far back as 1987. Scrutiny over Boeing's process of addressing manufacturing issues began increasing in the aftermath of two fatal crashes involving the

Boeing 737 MAX The Boeing 737 MAX is a series of narrow-body aircraft developed by Boeing Commercial Airplanes as the fourth generation of the Boeing 737. It succeeds the Boeing 737 Next Generation and incorporates more efficient CFM International LEAP engin ...

—

Lion Air Flight 610 Lion Air Flight 610 was a scheduled domestic passenger flight from Soekarno–Hatta International Airport, Tangerang, to Depati Amir Airport, Pangkal Pinang, in Indonesia. On 29 October 2018, the Boeing 737 MAX 8 operating the route, carrying ...

in late 2018 and

Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302 Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302 was a scheduled international passenger flight from Bole International Airport in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, to Jomo Kenyatta International Airport in Nairobi, Kenya. On 10 March 2019, the Boeing 737 MAX 8 ai ...

in early 2019. In August 2023, Boeing discovered improperly installed

aft pressure bulkhead The aft pressure bulkhead or rear pressure bulkhead is the rear component of the pressure seal in all aircraft that cruise in a tropopause zone in the Earth's atmosphere. It helps maintain pressure when stratocruising and protects the aircraft fro ...

s in certain Boeing 737 MAX aircraft. Concerns over Boeing manufacturing issues mounted in January 2024, when a door plug ejected from

Alaska Airlines Flight 1282 Alaska Airlines Flight 1282 was a scheduled domestic passenger flight operated by Alaska Airlines from Portland International Airport in Portland, Oregon, to Ontario International Airport in Ontario, California. Shortly after takeoff on January ...

, causing

uncontrolled decompression An uncontrolled decompression is an undesired drop in the pressure of a sealed system, such as a pressurised aircraft cabin or hyperbaric chamber, that typically results from human error, structural failure, or impact, causing the pressurised vess ...

. The

Federal Aviation Administration The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is a Federal government of the United States, U.S. federal government agency within the United States Department of Transportation, U.S. Department of Transportation that regulates civil aviation in t ...

and the

National Transportation Safety Board The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is an independent U.S. government investigative agency responsible for civil transportation accident investigation. In this role, the NTSB investigates and reports on aviation accidents and inci ...

initiated inquiries in response to the incident; the former's investigation discovered further instances of manufacturing lapses.

Manufacturing issues

Aft pressure bulkheads

In August 2023, Boeing discovered improperly drilled holes in

s in certain 737 MAX aircraft, forcing manufacturing delays.

Rudder control systems

In December 2023, Boeing urged airlines to inspect 737 MAX aircraft for loose bolts in their rudder control systems after an unnamed international airline discovered a bolt with a missing nut. Boeing discovered an additional improperly-tightened nut in an undelivered 737 MAX.

Door panels

On January 5, 2024,

experienced uncontrolled decompression after door plugs securing the emergency exit door panel ejected on the

Boeing 737 MAX 9 The Boeing 737 MAX is a series of narrow-body aircraft developed by Boeing Commercial Airplanes as the fourth generation of the Boeing 737. It succeeds the Boeing 737 Next Generation and incorporates more efficient CFM International LEAP engin ...

aircraft used on the flight; the configuration on the 737 MAX 9 included fewer seats than Boeing designs for, necessitating a door plug to obstruct an unneeded exit on row 26 adjacent to two unoccupied seats. The fuselage and door plugs were initially manufactured by

Spirit AeroSystems Spirit AeroSystems Holdings, Inc. is an American Manufacturing, manufacturer of aerostructures for commercial airplanes, headquartered in Wichita, Kansas. The company produces fuselage sections for Boeing's Boeing 737, 737 and Boeing 787 Dreaml ...

and the 737 MAX 9 involved in the incident was certified in November.

Fuselage gaps

In April 2024, Boeing engineer and whistleblower Sam Salehpour alleged that Boeing took shortcuts in the manufacturing of its 777 and 787. When joining the different parts of the fuselage together, Salehpour alleged that the tiny gaps were not filled. He claims there are thousands of affected aircraft that can catastrophically "break up" in mid air. Boeing denied these allegations.

Responses

Following

, the

ordered a mass grounding of Boeing 737 MAX 9 planes in order to conduct inspections.

Alaska Airlines Alaska Airlines is a major American airline headquartered in SeaTac, Washington, within the Seattle metropolitan area. It is the fifth-largest airline in North America when measured by scheduled passengers carried, as of 2024. Alaska, togethe ...

canceled approximately one hundred flights on January 6, 2024, and

United Airlines United Airlines, Inc. is a Major airlines of the United States, major airline in the United States headquartered in Chicago, Chicago, Illinois that operates an extensive domestic and international route network across the United States and six ...

suspended uninspected 737 MAX 9s, leading to sixty cancellations. By January 7, Alaska Airlines had canceled 170 flights, affecting 25,000 customers.

Investigations

National Transportation Safety Board

The

initiated an inquiry into Boeing following

, discovering that bolts intended to secure a fuselage panel were not installed prior to the flight.

Federal Aviation Administration

In March 2024, ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'' reported that Boeing failed nearly three dozen audits during an examination.

U.S. Department of Justice

In March 2024, ''

The Wall Street Journal ''The Wall Street Journal'' (''WSJ''), also referred to simply as the ''Journal,'' is an American newspaper based in New York City. The newspaper provides extensive coverage of news, especially business and finance. It operates on a subscriptio ...

'' reported that the

United States Department of Justice The United States Department of Justice (DOJ), also known as the Justice Department, is a United States federal executive departments, federal executive department of the U.S. government that oversees the domestic enforcement of Law of the Unite ...

had started a

criminal investigation Criminal investigation is an applied science that involves the study of facts that are then used to inform criminal trials. A complete criminal investigation can include Search and seizure, searching, interviews, interrogations, Evidence (law), ...

into Boeing, interviewing the crew on Alaska Airlines Flight 1282.

References

{{Boeing Manufacturing issues Aviation accidents and incidents involving engineering failures