Ever since a mid-cabin plug door flew off a Boeing 737-9 MAX airplane during a January flight, more and more concerning information about the company’s aircraft has come to light – including a new issue revealed by the Federal Aviation Administration this week.
“Boeing notified the FAA late Thursday that it is recommending that operators of certain Boeing 737 MAX airplanes temporarily remove them from service to address a manufacturing issue that could affect the operation of a backup power control unit,” said an update from the administration. “The FAA is in contact with the airlines and the manufacturer and will ensure the issue is addressed. Passengers should contact their airlines about specific flight cancellations or delays.”
A day before the update, FAA Administrator Mike Whitaker held a meeting with airline CEOs regarding ways to improve safety in the U.S. aviation system. He also provided an update of enhanced oversight of Boeing and its suppliers following the door incident, which occurred on an Alaska Airlines flight.
“As I mentioned in my testimony yesterday, data is crucial to identifying and mitigating significant risks and emerging safety trends, allowing us to move toward a more predictive system,” Whitaker said Wednesday. “Today we discussed the need for more access to real time data and better tools to detect and manage risk within our aviation system.”
Audacy has reported on various issues related to Boeing planes this year, including the discovery that two holes on some 737 Max jets were not drilled exactly to Boeing’s requirements and a Boeing plane apparently sparking in the sky over Florida. While some of the company’s planes were grounded after the Alaska Airlines incident, United Airlines “resumed flights with the Boeing 737 Max 9 planes” late last month, according to WBBM.
This week, Visual Approach Analytics released data visualizations covering six decades of Boeing production.
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“The 737 would go from the first built prototype through four major iterations to the aircraft that will remain in production well into the 2030s (at least),” said Visual Approach Analytics.
According to a Thursday report from Leeham News and Analysis cited by Forbes, Boeing Commercial Airplanes leadership has told suppliers to keep making parts for the 737 MAX at the existing production schedule. Still, the company is currently being scrutinized by the FAA and audit results are expected next month.
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