Boeing announced that the head of its 737 Max program will step down as the company continues to deal with the fallout from last month’s Alaska Airlines mid-air door explosion.
Commercial Airplanes Chief Executive Officer Stan Diehl said in a Wednesday memo to employees obtained by the Post that he was leading Boeing Co.’s troubled division and the struggling Max 9. Ed Clark, who also oversaw production of the model, said he was retiring immediately.
Clark’s departure ends a nearly 15-year tenure at the Seattle-based company, according to his LinkedIn.
He was promoted to take over the Max program in 2021. According to the New York TimesThe company was accelerating production following two 737 Max 9 crashes in Indonesia in 2018 that killed a total of 346 people in March 2019.
These crashes temporarily grounded the 737 Max jets around the world and sparked a storm of questions about Boeing’s safety procedures.
Clark’s resignation was part of a larger leadership shakeup. Diehl told staff Wednesday that Elizabeth Land will be moving from her post as senior vice president of aircraft programs to a new role as BCA senior vice president of quality, where she will lead quality for the company. Management and quality assurance efforts. ”
Former senior design engineer Mike Fleming has replaced Lund in the role, Diehl said, and other internal succession plans have been shared, all effective immediately.
Diehl said the refresh was undertaken to help the company “continue to focus on ensuring that every aircraft we deliver meets or exceeds all quality and safety requirements.” Stated. Our customers demand and deserve more. ”
In recent weeks, Boeing has been forced to take action in the wake of the now-infamous explosion of a Boeing 737 Max 9 operated by Alaska Airlines on January 5th, which reached an altitude of 16,000 feet after taking off from Portland, Oregon. We are also conducting a complete review of our quality control processes.
According to the Times, the Virginia-based company said it was ramping up inspections at its Renton, Washington, factory, where Clark led production-related operations for the Max.
This incident represents a full-blown safety and reputational crisis for Boeing. Boeing has been notified by supplier Spirit AeroSystems of additional manufacturing issues with approximately 50 undelivered 737 Max 9 planes.
Split AeroSystems told Boeing earlier this month. Many aircraft had holes drilled by mistake.Additional work will be required and short-term aircraft delays are expected.
Still, all Boeing 737 Max 9s have reportedly already returned to the skies after a lengthy inspection process by the Federal Aviation Administration.
Jennifer Homemendy, Chair of the National Transportation Safety Board, said: Speaking on “CNN This Morning” Earlier this month, she said at the time, “I have no problem flying on a Max 9 tomorrow.”
Meanwhile, she also spoke about the horrific incident, which was caused by a door plug missing four bolts that held it in place, adding: “Of course something like this could happen again. ‘ he warned.
“There is no way this plane could have been delivered without four safety-critical bolts,” Homendy added, noting that “there was a problem in the manufacturing process.”
There are only two U.S. airlines operating the Max 9 Boeing model: Alaska Airlines and United Airlines.
He also said the NTSB needs to do a better job “digging into what’s going on at Boeing” and said FAA Administrator Michael Whitaker’s Tuesday testimony to Congress that the agency relies too much on He pointed out that he agrees with what he said. Aircraft manufacturers such as Boeing are planning to self-regulate, according to CNN.
“The current system is failing because it does not provide safe aircraft,” Whittaker added. “So we need to make some changes to this.”
“I totally agree that things need to change,” Homendy told CNN, adding that the issue is more of a “quality control issue” and goes beyond last month’s Alaska Airlines plane explosion. Ta.
