Alaska Airlines flight makes emergency landing after window blows out

[ElizB]

U.S. airlines, fed up forced change in the Boeing C-suite

The CEOs of American, United, Alaska, and Southwest airlines skipped the Boeing CEO and went directly to the board of directors to request a meeting about Boeing’s future. They are the biggest Boeing operators in the U.S. It’s an interesting article.

The Air Show - Boeing Episode
Jon Ostrower (author of the article linked above) gives a bit more info on this podcast.

 

[sds71]

WASHINGTON, April 7 (Reuters) - The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration on Sunday said it would investigate after an engine cowling on a Southwest Airlines (LUV.N), opens new tab Boeing 737-800 fell off during takeoff in Denver and struck the wing flap.

Southwest Flight 3695 returned safely to Denver International airport around 8:15 a.m. local time on Sunday and was towed to the gate. The Boeing (BA.N), opens new tab aircraft with 135 passengers and six crew members aboard had been headed to William P. Hobby Airport in Houston.

No one was injured.

Southwest said it was flying passengers on another plane to Houston approximately three hours behind schedule. Southwest said maintenance teams are reviewing the aircraft.
The plane entered service in June 2015, according to FAA records. Boeing referred questions to Southwest for information about the airline's airplane and fleet operations.
The airline declined to say when the plane's engine had last had maintenance.

https://www.reuters.com/business/aerospace-defense/faa-says-southwest-plane-with-boeing-engine-cowling-fell-off-during-takeoff-2024-04-07/

 

[LinasK]

https://www.sfchronicle.com/sf/article/united-wing-clip-san-francisco-airport-19387883.php

 

[LinasK]

Boeing Has Been Prioritizing Production Over Safety, FAA Chief Says

Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) chief Michael Whitaker said on Tuesday that his impression from a recent visit to Boeing’s facilities suggests there are issues within the aerospace giant’s safety culture. During an interview with NBC Nightly News, Mr. Whitaker said that the FAA’s audit and...

www.ntd.com

 

[LinasK]

https://www.cnn.com/2024/02/26/business/aviation-safety-panel-finds-boeing-culture-included-safety-gaps-fear-of-retaliation/index.html

 

[LinasK]

And this: There Was Some Shady Stuff Going on With That Door Plug That Blew Out of the Boeing 737

From this article: In perhaps the most eyebrow-raising incident, Boeing workers failed to document the removal of the door plug's bolts, which was done to access the faulty rivets. Had an official "removal" process been undertaken, according to the WSJ, a quality assurance team would've double-checked the installation. This glaring omission stunned employees.

"CONDITION STILL EXIST. RIVETS WERE JUST PAINTED OVER," reads an almost comical entry six days after the issue was flagged.

 

[PrairieWind]

https://www.cnn.com/2024/02/26/business/aviation-safety-panel-finds-boeing-culture-included-safety-gaps-fear-of-retaliation/index.html

From that article. "Some Boeing employees did not understand their role in safety... ." I'd like to know a little more about this comment.

 

[PrairieWind]

And this: There Was Some Shady Stuff Going on With That Door Plug That Blew Out of the Boeing 737

From this article: In perhaps the most eyebrow-raising incident, Boeing workers failed to document the removal of the door plug's bolts, which was done to access the faulty rivets. Had an official "removal" process been undertaken, according to the WSJ, a quality assurance team would've double-checked the installation. This glaring omission stunned employees.

"CONDITION STILL EXIST. RIVETS WERE JUST PAINTED OVER," reads an almost comical entry six days after the issue was flagged.

The more we learn about this door plug issue the stranger it gets. I guess that is why there is a criminal investigation going on. I can't imagine there was actual sabotage, but there sure seems to have been a LOT of misteps here

 

[LinasK]

NTSB Found More Boeing 737 MAX Door Plug Repairs, Chair Says

A similar repair performed on Alaska Airlines 737 MAX 9 is thought to have caused the door plug blowout in-flight, when critical arresting bolts were not re-installed.

www.forbes.com

 

[sds71]

Boeing will be in the spotlight during back-to-back hearings Wednesday, as Congress examines allegations of major safety failures at the embattled aircraft manufacturer.

The first session will feature members of an expert panel that found serious flaws in Boeing's safety culture.

The main event will be a second hearing featuring a Boeing engineer who claims that sections of the skin on 787 Dreamliner jets are not properly fastened and could eventually break apart. The whistleblower's lawyer says Boeing has ignored the engineer's concerns and prevented him from talking to experts about fixing the defects.

The whistleblower, Sam Salehpour, sent documents to the Federal Aviation Administration, which is investigating the quality and safety of Boeing's manufacturing.

Salehpour is scheduled to testify Wednesday before a Senate investigations subcommittee. Another Boeing whistleblower — Ed Pierson, a former manager on the Boeing 737 program — and two other aviation technical experts are also on the witness list.

Boeing in the spotlight as Congress calls whistleblower to testify about defects in planes

The whistleblower sent documents to the Federal Aviation Administration, which is investigating the quality and safety of Boeing's manufacturing.

www.nbcconnecticut.com

 

[sds71]

https://www.reutersagency.com/en/li...rcom-article-media&utm_campaign=rcom-rcp-lead
WASHINGTON, April 17 (Reuters) - The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration issued a ground stop advisory on Wednesday for Alaska Airlines (ALK.N), opens new tab, saying: "All Alaska mainline and subcarrier flights ground stopped."
In a separate statement, the FAA said the carrier "asked the FAA to pause the airline’s mainline departures nationwide." It did not provide a reason for the stoppage.
CNBC reported that the airline's system used to calculate weight and balance for flights was not functioning correctly.

https://www.reuters.com/business/aerospace-defense/us-faa-issues-ground-stop-advisory-alaska-airlines-2024-04-17/

 

[PrairieWind]

I just saw that as well. Alaska Air is saying some flights are already being released to fly. What a mess.

 

[sds71]

UPDATE - Alaska Airlines says ground stop **now canceled** after resolving an issue with the system that calculates weight & balance on flights.

 

[PrairieWind]

Maybe the weight & balance software was over estimating the potentially missing parts.

 

[ch_13]

https://www.reutersagency.com/en/li...rcom-article-media&utm_campaign=rcom-rcp-lead
WASHINGTON, April 17 (Reuters) - The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration issued a ground stop advisory on Wednesday for Alaska Airlines (ALK.N), opens new tab, saying: "All Alaska mainline and subcarrier flights ground stopped."
In a separate statement, the FAA said the carrier "asked the FAA to pause the airline’s mainline departures nationwide." It did not provide a reason for the stoppage.
CNBC reported that the airline's system used to calculate weight and balance for flights was not functioning correctly.

https://www.reuters.com/business/aerospace-defense/us-faa-issues-ground-stop-advisory-alaska-airlines-2024-04-17/

(bolded by me)

It's interesting that Alaska requested the FAA to issue the order. Surely they could have grounded their own planes without needing the feds to intervene.

I wonder if it's because an FAA-issued mandate means that they don't have to compensate passengers. But if that's the case, why did the FAA agree? They shouldn't be bailing out the airline from its own mistakes.

 

[Charlot123]

The more we learn about this door plug issue the stranger it gets. I guess that is why there is a criminal investigation going on. I can't imagine there was actual sabotage, but there sure seems to have been a LOT of misteps here

I am not thinking there is sabotage, but I am horrified to think of the consequences if there is one. Also, if some impaired assembly line worker is on the verge of being fired, he can do a lot of harm. Even with good safety control.

 

[mmeynstyn]

(bolded by me)

It's interesting that Alaska requested the FAA to issue the order. Surely they could have grounded their own planes without needing the feds to intervene.

I wonder if it's because an FAA-issued mandate means that they don't have to compensate passengers. But if that's the case, why did the FAA agree? They shouldn't be bailing out the airline from its own mistakes.

I suspect the airlines are most likely required to notify the FAA of any potential safety issues. As a Boeing engineer for 34 years, that was a requirement for us (at least it was when I was there). LOL - Did I just admit that? LOL. IMO, the FAA may have then advised on a nationwide ground stop and the media took that and ran with it.

 

[sds71]

An emergency slide that fell off of a Delta passenger jet reportedly was found outside the home of a lawyer whose firm is suing the Boeing plane manufacturer over safety issues.

Jake Bissell-Linsk, whose firm filed suit against Boeing after one of its planes lost a door plug mid-air back in January, said he discovered the deflated slide washed up outside his oceanfront home near New York City’s John F. Kennedy International Airport on Sunday.

Emergency Slide Falls Off Plane, Winds Up At Home Of Lawyer Whose Firm Is Suing Boeing

The Boeing jet lost the slide shortly after takeoff last week at New York City’s JFK Airport.

www.huffpost.com

 

[sds71]

“Joshua Dean, a former quality auditor at Boeing supplier Spirit AeroSystems and one of the first whistleblowers to allege Spirit leadership had ignored manufacturing defects on the 737 MAX, died after a struggle with a sudden, fast-spreading infection.”

Boeing whistleblower John Barnett found dead in US

Prior to his death, John Barnett was testifying against Boeing over concerns about standards.

www.bbc.com

Whistleblower Josh Dean of Boeing supplier Spirit AeroSystems has died

Joshua Dean, one of the first whistleblowers to allege Spirit AeroSystems execs had ignored manufacturing defects on the 737 MAX, died after a sudden illness.

www.seattletimes.com

 

[IceIce9]

Joshua Dean, a Boeing whistleblower who warned of manufacturing defects in the planemaker’s 737 Max, has died after a short illness, the second Boeing whistleblower to die this year.

Dean, 45, a former quality auditor at Boeing supplier Spirit AeroSystems, filed a complaint with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) alleging “serious and gross misconduct by senior quality management of the 737 production line” at Spirit.

Second Boeing whistleblower dies after short illness | Boeing | The Guardian

Joshua Dean, 45, former quality auditor at Boeing supplier Spirit AeroSystems, alleged ‘gross misconduct by quality management’

amp.theguardian.com