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FAA fines Boeing for certifying 133 737s as airworthy despite slat track defects

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The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has proposed a civil penalty of more than $3.9 million against The Boeing Co. for installing nonconforming components on approximately 133 aircraft, which Boeing subsequently presented as ready for airworthiness certification. The FAA alleges that Boeing failed to adequately oversee its suppliers to ensure they complied with the company’s quality assurance system. The agency contends that this failure resulted in the installation of slat tracks that were… (news.aviation-safety.net) More...

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MHarryE
One needs to look at the timeline. Boeing is the one who determined the parts are unacceptable and notified the FAA. Spirit Aerosystems is the company that tried to get an exemption for supplying parts they had installed being notified after installation they were defective. Spirit's engineers apparently felt the parts, although not meeting spec, were adequate (happens often). They submitted their analysis to Boeing who disagreed and asked Spirit to submit the paperwork that would get the parts removed. It took Spirit from October to February to do something that should have been completed within a day. Yes, Boeing needs to clamp down on their supplier, but if Boeing was only concerned with cost they would have okayed the defective parts like Spirit recommended. Instead they need to replace the defective parts paying customers to do the work, and pay a fine for not cracking the whip on their supplier chain. It is right for Boeing to get the fine, but the problem only was identified by Boeing reporting it prior to anything bad happening. Interest in short term profit would be to sign off on the bad parts and let the chips fall where they may.
stratofan
stratofan 0
Kudos to you for getting it straight instead of jumping on the Boeing hater bandwagon. Of course, I am reminded of the quote from Bill Lear that, "The FAA is the carbuncle on the a** of aviation."
awilliams1957
a w 8
it is not being a hater to expect Boeing to check thoroughly the parts on their aircraft. Boeing is getting a reputation for shoddy work.
sho69607
Exactly any article that criticizes Boeing on here immediately gets flagged as a "Boeing hater". Boeing's management did this to themselves and unfortunately now the employees are feeling the impact.
sgbelverta
sharon bias 2
There was no other company in the world who could provide the parts Boeing needed? Spirit clearly violated some part of their Boeing contract (quality control, timeliness?), and they should have been fired. This is the same management style that got them in trouble with the 737Max. Problems happen, but you deal with them immediately. You don't drag out corrective issues. I can't believe that Boeing just decided to halt 737Max production. That should have done 6 months ago.
TorstenHoff
Torsten Hoff 3
You posted the same thing from another site yesterday. You don’t care, of course, as long as you can post something negative about Boeing...
TiredTom
Tom Bruce 2
they're trying to build too many 737s too quickly... supplier problems... labor OT problems..
Quirkyfrog
So the 'administration' gives Boeing the ability to inspect and pass their own planes, and Boeing cuts corners, and the FAA gets all huffy?

The flying public should be taking their angst out on the administration that gave Boeing that ability. If you put the corporation in charge of monitoring their own products, of course the company is going to take advantage of that 'opportunity'. The temptation is obviously too great, and the apparent negatives of being caught aren't great enough to stop them from doing it.

Deregulation is not a good thing, and it's spreading all over the government. The FDA is allowing meat producers to inspect and approve their meat products. Meat packers have been caught slaughtering animals that were disease and unfit for consumption, and if the FDA inspector wasn't in the plant at the time, that diseased crap would be on your plate! YUM!!!
rebelx4xchrist
Paul Smith 1
it is apparent you did not read the article.
dreed9139
David Reed -1
The trouble with Boeing has everything to do with greed and maximum short term profit.
PaulN2719
PaulN2719 4
A problem with big business in this country in general.
TiredTom
Tom Bruce 4
left the pharmaceutical industry for same reason.... greed - stock price - profit
rebelx4xchrist
Paul Smith 1
did you bother to read the article or you just decided to comment first?
MH370
MH370 -2
(Duplicate Squawk Submitted)

Boeing faces fine for installing faulty 737 parts

Boeing faces a $4 million fine for failing to ensure a supplier was delivering airworthy 737 slat tracks and then not rejecting them once the issue came to light.

http://atwonline.com/manufacturers/boeing-faces-fine-installing-faulty-737-parts

MH370
MH370 -2
(Duplicate Squawk Submitted)

FAA hits Boeing with $3.9 million fine for slat track issue

The Federal Aviation Administration has proposed fining Boeing $3.9 million for installing slat components that failed quality inspections on 133 737 jets.

https://www.flightglobal.com/news/articles/faa-hits-boeing-with-39-million-fine-for-slat-tra-462746/

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