Boeing fails 33 out of 89 inspections by US regulator

By Alimat Aliyeva

Boeing failed to pass 33 out of 89 inspections by the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) caused by the January incident with the loss of part of the fuselage of an Alaska Airlines 737 MAX aircraft, Azernews reports, citing foreign media outlets.

According to the FAA, the inspections went on for six weeks and affected both Boeing and Spirit AeroSystems, which manufactures the fuselage for the Boeing 737 MAX.

It is noted that Boeing has passed 56 out of 89 inspections. The auditors focused on "many parts of the 737 MAX, including wings and a number of other systems," as well as employees' understanding of the principles of product quality control. Inspections revealed 97 cases of non-compliance with production standards.

Spirit AeroSystems failed 7 out of 13 inspections. FAA documents show that its representatives saw how Spirit AeroSystems mechanics used a hotel key card to check the door seal, as well as how liquid soap was used "as a lubricant during the fitting process" when working with the seal.

The Boeing 737 is a family of narrow-body short- and medium-haul passenger and transport aircraft. The aircraft has been manufactured by Boeing Corporation since 1967. The Boeing 737 has become the most massive passenger aircraft in the history of civil aviation, with the ten thousandth aircraft delivered on March 13, 2018.