A person familiar with the situation states that mechanics at the Renton final assembly line of Boeing made errors that led to the fuselage panel of an Alaska Airlines jet blowing off. This indicates that Boeing is primarily at fault for the incident. This was brought to light when a whistleblower shared details about the incident on an aviation website. NTSB investigators have also suggested that bolts crucial to prevent the door plug from sliding off were not installed by Boeing. The mechanics’ work should have been inspected and signed off by a Boeing quality inspector, but a process failure in recording the work led to this not happening.
Passengers on Flight 1282 were left shaken when the door plug blew out as the plane climbed out of Portland. The incident has raised concerns about Boeing’s quality control systems. Boeing declined to comment on the ongoing investigation.
Boeing has faced sharp criticism from the CEOs of Alaska and United Airlines following the incident. The whistleblower’s account, according to experts, aligns with the manufacturing process and errors that led to the door plug blowout. The incident was a setback for Boeing, as it drew outrage and mockery worldwide, leading to fresh criticisms of the company’s quality culture.
The whistleblower described how the errors occurred in two systems used by Boeing to track the assembly work on aircraft. The mistake happened when a job was discussed in one system but not fully entered in the other, leading to critical procedural errors. This failure in the quality control process seems to reflect the manufacturing chaos witnessed by a former MAX assembly manager.
The whistleblower also pointed out that labor turnover during the COVID-19 pandemic has been a significant factor. Experienced employees leaving and new hires with little to no experience have affected the overall work quality at Boeing.
