FAA Audit Finds Boeing Quality Control Failed in Alaska Air Incident

By Ben Glickman

An audit by U.S. regulators in response to the mid-flight Alaska Air incident in January found that Boeing allegedly failed to comply with quality-control requirements in manufacturing.

The Federal Aviation Administration said Monday that its six-week audit of Boeing and manufacturing partner Spirit AeroSystems, which was prompted by a door plug on a Boeing 737-9 MAX plane blowing out mid-flight, found "non-compliance issues in Boeing's manufacturing process control, parts handling and storage and product control."

Regulators told Boeing last week that the company would have to address its audit's findings in a corrective action plan. The company has 90 days to outline a plan, which also must address conclusions of an expert review panel focused on Boeing's safety culture.

The FAA said Monday that in order to hold Boeing accountable, it has halted production expansion of the company's 737 MAX planes and will continue its onsite presence at Boeing and Spirit's manufacturing facilities.

Write to Ben Glickman at ben.glickman@wsj.com

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

March 04, 2024 14:29 ET (19:29 GMT)

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