Boeing has announced immediate actions to be taken to improve and strengthen quality assurance following the Alaska Airlines flight 1282 Incident. In a message to Boeing employees, Stan Deal, Boeing Commercial Airplanes President and CEO outlined some immediate actions to be enacted in order to bolster QA and controls in the 737 program.
Immediate Actions Taken
Boeing has been providing updates on any new developments following Alaska Flight 1282. According to Boeing, immediate actions being taken include additional inspections during the manufacturing process at Boeing and supplier Spirit AeroSystems. Additionally Boeing has increased the number of Commercial Airplanes quality inspectors by 20%. Boeing as also begun deploying a team to work alongside Spirit AeroSystems to inspect the suppliers installation of the mid-exit door plug and approving them before the parts are sent to Boeing. Operators of the 737 will be allowed to enter Boeing factories as well as Spirit AeroSystem factories for additional oversight inspections. Lastly, a third party will conduct the Quality Management System of Boeing Commercial Airplanes and provide suggestions for further improvements.
These implementations will occur separately to what the FAA’s investigation and oversight plans are for the 737-9 MAX production. These changes will hopefully keep our skies safer for all.