Boeing's goings...

[Malcolm]

Spirit Aero to be broken up as Boeing agrees $4.7 billion stock deal

Story by Tim Hepher, Shivani Tanna and Mike Stone

 • 1h

 

By Tim Hepher, Shivani Tanna and Mike Stone

(Reuters) -Boeing agreed to buy back Spirit AeroSystems for $4.7 billion in stock and Airbus moved to take on the supplier's loss-making Europe-focused activities in return for hundreds of millions of dollars of compensation following months of talks.

 

The near-two-decade independence of the world's largest standalone aerostructures company ended in a carve-up between its largest customers after the latest Boeing 737 MAX crisis, sparked by a mid-air door plug blowout in January, brought to a head doubts over the resilience of fuselage manufacturing.

Boeing said Monday it will buy its supplier Spirit AeroSystems

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Spirit Aero to be broken up in $4.7 bln Boeing deal

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Boeing, which spun off Spirit in 2005, said it would repurchase its former subsidiary for about $37.25 per share, as reported by Reuters on Sunday, giving it an enterprise value of $8.3 billion including debt.

"Bringing Spirit and Boeing together will enable greater integration of both companies' manufacturing and engineering capabilities, including safety and quality systems," Spirit CEO Pat Shanahan said in a statement.

Spirit shares rose some 8% in premarket trading, while Boeing dipped by just under 1%.

The Wichita, Kansas-based company said the deal offered a 30% premium versus the day before Boeing and Spirit announced talks to bring the struggling supplier back in house on March 1.

Boeing has long pondered buying back its former subsidiary, which analysts say has struggled to thrive independently despite diversifying into work for Europe's Airbus and others.

The decision to go ahead comes as Boeing tries to resolve a sprawling corporate and industrial crisis that has engulfed one of the industry's key suppliers.

Boeing is trying to move past months of difficulties sparked by the Jan. 5 blowout of a door plug on a virtually new Alaska Airlines 737 MAX 9 jet that exposed quality problems.

Those issues have led to a substantial slowdown in output at Boeing, rippling across the global commercial aviation industry.

 

The U.S. planemaker has also announced the planned departure of CEO Dave Calhoun in the wake of the crisis, with industry executives and analysts pointing to Spirit's Shanahan, a former senior Boeing executive, as one of the possible replacements.

It was not immediately clear how long he might be tied to Spirit, with the Boeing deal not due to close until mid-2025.

In a note to investors, Bernstein analyst Douglas Harned said the deal "should add clarity ... potentially for the Boeing board’s attention to move to the decision on the next CEO".

AIRBUS DEAL

Spirit, the manufacturer of the door plug, had been spun off from Boeing in one of a series of moves that critics say were emblematic of a focus on cost-cutting over quality.

Boeing made the decision to buy back Spirit in the aftermath of the door plug blowout, in what it described as an effort to address its safety problems and shore up its production line.

That raised questions over the future of work that Spirit caries out for Boeing's arch-rival Airbus, prompting the CEO of the European giant to warn in April that it stood ready if necessary to veto changes in control of Airbus-related plants.

On Monday, Airbus said it would take over core activities at four of the supplier's plants in the United States, Northern Ireland, France and Morocco as reported by Reuters last week.

It will also take over minor work currently carried out in Wichita. The separate Airbus deal was triggered by talks between Boeing and Spirit and was loosely coordinated between the three companies, sources said. It is subject to due diligence.

Airbus shares were up by about 2% in Monday morning trade.

Because Spirit's Airbus-related activities lose money, industry sources had said the European planemaker was pressing for up to $1 billion in compensation in return for taking over the plants, which make strategic parts for its A350 and A220 airliners.

Airbus said it would receive $559 million in compensation from Spirit, depending on the final outlines of the deal, while it would pay the supplier a symbolic $1 for the assets.

That echoes its decision to buy the Canadian-designed CSeries small jetliner program for just $1 from Bombardier in 2018. It later renamed the jet the A220.

Until the latest shake-up, Airbus had not envisaged taking control of the loss-making A220 wings manufacturing carried out in Belfast, which Spirit bought from Bombardier in 2019.

Monday's deal lifts doubts over the future of part of Northern Ireland's top industrial employer, though sources have said Airbus may need to invest significant sums to increase output and make the wings more affordable to produce.

Spirit said it planned to sell operations in Prestwick, Scotland and in Subang, Malaysia that support Airbus programs and those in Belfast that do not support Airbus programs.

(Reporting by Mike Stone and David Shepardson in Washington, Allison Lampert in Montreal, Tim Hepher in Paris and Shivansh Tiwary, Abhijith Ganapavaram and Shivani Tanna in Bengaluru; Editing by David Gaffen, Shubham Kalia, Jamie Freed and Jason Neely)

[Malcolm]

FAA orders inspection of 2,600 Boeing 737s over oxygen mask issue

FAA orders inspection of 2,600 Boeing 737s over oxygen mask issue (msn.com)

File photo: A Boeing 737 MAX aircraft is assembled at the company's plant in Renton, Washington, U.S. June 25, 2024. Jennifer Buchanan/Pool via REUTERS/File photo© Thomson Reuters

By David Shepardson

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -The Federal Aviation Administration said on Monday it is requiring inspections of 2,600 Boeing 737 airplanes because passenger oxygen masks could fail during an emergency.

The FAA said it was requiring the inspections of 737 MAX and NG airplanes after multiple reports of passenger service unit oxygen generators shifting out of position, an issue that could result in an inability to provide supplemental oxygen to passengers during a depressurization event.

 

Boeing, which did not immediately comment, on June 17 issued a bulletin to airlines calling for visual inspections, the FAA said.

The FAA said its airworthiness directive was immediately effective and requires inspections and corrective actions if needed within 120 to 150 days based on the 737 model. The FAA is also barring airlines from installing potentially defective parts.

Airlines must conduct a general visual inspection and if needed replace oxygen generators with new or serviceable oxygen generators, strap thermal pads and reposition impacted oxygen generators, the agency said.

[Malcolm]

Not Boeing's fault. Something missing in the post/ preflight UAL check lst?

Moment Wheel Falls off United Airlines Boeing Jet Seconds After Takeoff — Again

AUnited Airlines Boeing 757-200 flight from Los Angeles to Denver lost one of its wheels during take off—mirroring a similar incident with the aircraft manufacturer mere months earlier.

Knewz.com has learned that in March, the same technical failure beset an aircraft taking off from San Francisco causing severe damage to vehicles in an airport parking lot.

 

United Airlines flight 1001 losing its wheel. By: YouTube/Eyewitness News ABC7NY© Knewz (CA)

The most recent instance involving the already embattled commercial aircraft brand, Boeing, occurred on Monday, July 8, around 07h15 local time.

The operator, United Airlines (Flight 1001) continued to its destination and is said to have landed at Denver International Airport without incident or injury to its 147 passengers and seven crew.

 

The airline has since released a statement indicating that an investigation is underway to determine why the wheel fell off.

A report quoted one of the passengers, Allen Stubblefield, who was onboard during the incident.

He noted that the pilot declared an emergency landing as the flight neared Denver.

 

The aircraft was a model 757-200 built by Boeing. By: Boeing/Facebook© Knewz (CA)

“(I've) been through many safety procedures and you get to the point where you're half-listening or barely listening,” Stubblefield said.

He noted that none of the passengers panicked and recalled that as the aircraft made its final approach, one of the cabin crew called “brace, brace, brace” through the PA system.

 

“It was not the smoothest landing and I didn't expect that. There was a bump, but that was it,” Stubblefield said.

Back in the cockpit, the pilots were made aware of their missing wheel almost as soon as it came off the plane.

Air traffic control informed them, saying: “Tower, United 1001, we were told a tire came off your aircraft.”

The control tower, in turn, became aware of the incident after other pilots at the facility spotted it separating from the jet.

Quoted communication records reflected one of the messages alerting traffic control:

“A tire came off that B757 that took off.”

“We saw it rolling down past B7-B8.”

 

The flight was en route from Los Angeles. By: Facebook/LAX© Knewz (CA)

Notably, the same thing happened to a United Airlines flight in March 2024 after a Boeing 777 took off from San Francisco Airport.

The wheel allegedly fell into a parking area near the airport causing severe damage to vehicles.

Consequently, the plane destined for Osaka, Japan was rerouted to Los Angeles where it executed a safe landing.

 

United Airlines is currently under investigation by the Federal Aviation Authority (FAA) and has communicated that it welcomes the oversight.

Be this as it may, the airline’s shares have since taken a dip, perSmart Karma, and the probe by the aviation agency is expected to impede its upcoming projects.

 

[conehead]

The media likes to dogpile on Boeing lately. These are fairly old aircraft involved in these two incidents. Possible causes are a form of metal fatique, or a maintenance fault. There are examples of wheels departing in flight from Airbus, Bombardier, Boeing...

[Malcolm]

SEI50185241.jpg© REUTERS

Boeing is burning through more than $1 billion in cash a month as it has dozens of new planes sitting outside factories in need of parts.

Part shortages and other issues have left Boeing with roughly 200 mostly finished jets sitting on airfields, outside plants and even in employee parking lots, according to the Wall Street Journal.

 

Some planes need interior parts and others need engines, according to the report. While others are finished and awaiting delivery to China.

The delay in parts is due to supply-chain shortages that have lingered since the pandemic, according to the Journal. For example, seat suppliers haven’t been able to meet demand because of material shortages. There have also been fewer temperature-regulating parts than typical.

Because the 200 planes aren’t in the air, the manufacturer is losing around $1 billion a month. The loss of money is the latest bad news for the beleaguered airline that has seen its reputation and bottom line take a hit following a series of airline safety issues.

“It kind of begs the question: When are you going to deliver these things,” Ron Epstein, an aerospace analyst at Bank of America, told the Journal. “They can only sit around so long before you have to do something with them.”

Boeing has seen its production slowdown since the safety concerns launched a series of federal investigations. In fact, those slowdowns might be helping Boeing as it leads to fewer planes being produced than normal and fewer sitting waiting for final parts.

In total, the company has delivered about 90 fewer planes this year, compared to the same time last year.

Boeing officials say they are working to remove the parked planes and get them completed. The company also noted that the backup of planes hasn’t had a slowdown in production because of a lack of space.

“As we have delivered hundreds of 737s and dozens of 787s from inventory in recent years, we have reduced the parking space needed at several sites,” Boeing told the outlet.  

The Independent has always had a global perspective. Built on a firm foundation of superb international reporting and analysis, The Independent now enjoys a reach that was inconceivable when it was launched as an upstart player in the British news industry. For the first time since the end of the Second World War, and across the world, pluralism, reason, a progressive and humanitarian agenda, and internationalism – Independent values – are under threat. Yet we, The Independent, continue to grow.

Boeing is losing $1 billion a month with planes awaiting parts - and they are sitting in employee parking lots

Boeing is losing $1 billion a month with planes awaiting parts - and they are sitting in employee parking lots (msn.com)

[Malcolm]

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Exclusive-Boeing asks suppliers for decade-long titanium paper trail as check for forgeries widens (msn.com)Exclusive-Boeing asks suppliers for decade-long titanium paper trail as check for forgeries widens

Story by Allison Lampert and David Shepardson

 • 1d • 3 min read

By Allison Lampert and David Shepardson

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Boeing is asking suppliers to disclose records on Chinese titanium since 2014, according to a letter seen by Reuters, as the U.S. planemaker widens checks for false paperwork used to authenticate the metal used in commercial jets.

 

Regulators said in June they were investigating whether false or incorrect documents were used to identify the authenticity of titanium used for parts in some Boeing and Airbus jets.

Reports of forged documentation initially raised concerns about the structural integrity of some aircraft, but planemakers and suppliers say the correct titanium alloy was used and their products are safe. Paper trails are critical in aviation, where regulators insist on clear documentation for even minor production changes to assure planes are safe.

 

FILE PHOTO: Airplane fuselages bound for Boeing's 737 Max production facility sit in storage at their top supplier, Spirit AeroSystems Holdings Inc, in Wichita, Kansas, U.S. December 17, 2019. REUTERS/Nick Oxford/File Photo© Thomson Reuters

"In the interest of full compliance, we are now broadening the scope of our request," Boeing wrote in the letter sent in mid-July to suppliers that asks for details by August 9.

It's not clear why Boeing is asking suppliers to provide records for Chinese titanium purchases dating back a decade.

 

Boeing said while the impact of the industry-wide issue is extremely limited for Boeing the company is "continuing to work with our suppliers to ensure that every titanium part is properly documented."

Aerospace-grade titanium's strength and light weight make it ideal for components that take the heaviest punishment, like engine parts and landing gear for big jets. Titanium supply has been tight due to demand for planes and as Western nations seek alternatives to metal made in Russia and China.

Boeing has been under scrutiny all year following the Jan. 5 mid-air blowout of a door panel on a new 737 MAX 9. The required documents detailing the removal of that key part for repairs have not been located and Boeing believes they were never created.

Last year, jet engine manufacturer CFM International disclosed that thousands of its engine components might have been sold with falsified documentation by a British distributor.

 

Joe Buccino, spokesperson for Boeing supplier Spirit AeroSystems, said the company will comply with the planemaker's letter, which Boeing confirmed.

"Documentation compliance is critical in the aviation industry," Buccino said.

Rival Airbus said it is collaborating with authorities and investigating the lack of proper traceability affecting a small number of titanium parts from suppliers to programs like the A220, A320 and A350.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) was not immediately available for comment.

Boeing asked its suppliers in February to disclose whether they procured the metal through distributor Titanium International Group (TIG) since January 2019.

In June, the New York Times reported that TIG noticed that the material looked different from previous supplies and determined that paperwork accompanying the titanium seemed inauthentic.

 

 

The planemaker has since asked its supply chain to confirm their paperwork is legitimate after the company reviewed certificates of conformance from China not recognized as authentic by the original Chinese manufacturer.

(Reporting By Allison Lampert and David Shepardson; Additional reporting by Joanna Plucinska in London; Editing by Nick Zieminski)

[Malcolm]

Boeing names Kelly Ortberg CEO to steer turnaround as cash burn rises

By Abhijith Ganapavaram and Allison Lampert

(Reuters) -Boeing on Wednesday named aerospace industry veteran Kelly Ortberg as its CEO to turn around the struggling planemaker after a quarter where it lost more than $1 billion.

Ortberg will start on Aug. 8 with the monumental task of rebuilding trust with regulators, the industry and the public during a quality crisis, and as its finance chief warned it would continue to burn cash.

 

Boeing has been mired in a reputational and safety crisis after a Jan. 5 mid-air cabin panel blowout on an Alaska Airlines-operated MAX 9 jet carrying 171 passengers.

The planemaker posted a loss of $1.4 billion on revenue of $16.9 billion, short of the consensus among analysts for $17.2 billion, according to LSEG data. It lost $2.90 a share, short of expectations for a loss of $1.97 a share.

Boeing CFO Brian West told an analyst call on Wednesday he expects cash usage in 2024 to be larger than previously thought and expects cash burn during the third quarter. The company's free cash flow usage was $4.33 billion.

The CEO appointment lifted shares by 4.4% in a relief trade, despite the struggles across its businesses, including in defense and space. Ortberg will also have to revive production of the company's strong-selling 737 jets from about 25 in June and July to 38 by year's end.

 

The company's crisis led to an executive reshuffle in which CEO Dave Calhoun decided to step down by the end of the year and board chair Larry Kellner said he would not stand for re-election.

Calhoun told analysts he didn't think Ortberg's arrival would lead to a big leadership overhaul at Boeing. Stephanie Pope, the head of Boeing Commercial Airplanes, was seen as a possible candidate to succeed Calhoun.

"My guess is he's going to put his arms around Stephanie and the rest of the team in a big way and just try to support their work," Calhoun told analysts.

Calhoun will be a special advisor to the board until March 2025, Boeing chair Steve Mollenkopf said on Wednesday.

Shortly after the January accident, the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) barred Boeing from raising the production of its cash-cow 737 MAX family of jets above 38 a month, without estimating how long the limitation will last.

 

West said Boeing had been making aircraft far below that level during some weeks to plug quality gaps, confirming a Reuters report.

WALL ST CHEERS APPOINTMENT

A mechanical engineer, Ortberg, 64, has more than 30 years in aerospace and defense, including numerous executive roles.

 

"There is much work to be done, and I'm looking forward to getting started," Ortberg said in a statement as Boeing waived its mandatory retirement age of 65 years for him.

After five years leading Rockwell Collins, he steered the company's integration with United Technologies and RTX until his retirement from RTX in 2021.

"This is a strong and safe pick. We can appreciate Ortberg's age may be higher than some investors would have liked to see. However, we believe Ortberg's reputation at Rockwell Collins and United Technologies/RTX is strong," RBC Capital Markets analyst Ken Herbert said in a note.

Ortberg's experience in integrating acquisitions such as steering Collins through an $8.3 billion deal to purchase BE Aerospace in 2016 will face a fresh test at Boeing.

The planemaker is working to integrate Spirit AeroSystems into its fold after clinching a deal earlier this year to buy back the fuselage maker.

 

His appointment also addresses industry push for hiring an outsider to steer Boeing out of its troubles. He was chosen over Patrick Shanahan, the former Spirit Aero CEO who was seen as a favorite to succeed Calhoun by some analysts and investors. The company is set to be acquired by Boeing.

DEFENSE BUSINESS STRUGGLES

During the second quarter, Boeing delivered a total of 92 aircraft, down 32% from last year. It posted a loss of $2.33 a share, as its troubled defense and space business exacerbated the financial strain on the company.

The Defense, Space and Security unit, one of Boeing's three main businesses, has lost billions of dollars in 2023 and 2022, which executives attributed to cost overruns on fixed-price contracts.

Such contracts have high margins but leave defense contractors vulnerable to inflationary pressures that have dented U.S. corporate earnings in the last few years.

 

The planemaker used to bid aggressively for fixed-price contracts before the pandemic, but has now said it would pivot away from such contracts to stem losses at the business, which amounted to $1.76 billion last year.

(Reporting by Abhijith Ganapavaram and Shivansh Tiwary in Bengaluru and Allison Lampert in Montreal; Additional reporting by David Shepardson in Washington, Rajesh Kumar Singh in Chicago, Kanchana Chakravarty, Nathan Gomes and Arpan Varghese in Bengaluru; Editing by Arun Koyyur and Nick Zieminski)

[deicer]

They're still not inspiring confidence....

https://www.cnn.com/2024/08/07/business/boeing-ntsb-hearing-alaska-airlines-door-plug/index.html

Boeing still doesn’t know who removed and reinstalled the part that blew off an Alaska Airlines jet

Seven months of investigations. Nearly 10 hours of hearings. And yet neither Boeing nor the National Transportation Safety Board know how a 737 Max was delivered to Alaska Airlines without the four bolts needed to keep a door plug in place.

What is known: Boeing’s procedures and training – by employees, and by safety investigators – has drawn enormous skepticism and criticism from regulators. That was on full display in the first day of a two-day hearing. The NTSB called a rare public hearing to examine the near tragedy on the January 5 Alaska Air flight in which a door plug blew out, leaving a gaping hole in the side of the plane – and in Boeing’s already battered reputation.

The door plug was removed at the Boeing factory in Renton, Washington, last September so that problems with some rivets could be repaired. But the necessary paperwork for that temporary door plug removal was apparently never created. So when workers replaced the door plug temporarily, other workers were unaware that bolts needed to be reinstalled, said Elizabeth Lund, senior vice president of quality for Boeing Commercial Airplanes.

But under questioning from the NTSB Lund admitted that it’s not clear who and when that door plug was put in place. That lack of information concerned members of the NTSB.

“We don’t know and neither do they and that’s a problem,” NTSB Chair Jennifer Homendy told reporters during a break in the hearing.

To avoid the problem in the future, Boeing is considering adding a warning light in the cockpit that would alert pilots if the door plug moves even a little bit – well before it could blow out in the kind of accident that occurred on the Alaska Air flight.

All 737 exit doors have such an indicator light in the flight deck if one of the plane’s doors moves out of locked position. But because the door plugs are not meant to be opened and shut except as part of maintenance, the same feature is not included on them. But that change will likely take about a year to implement, and should be available to retrofit onto existing planes that have door plugs.

In the meantime, Boeing revealed it has a much more low-tech answer to ensure that planes at the factory don’t have door plugs removed and then reinstalled without the necessary bolts: The company is hanging a laminated blue and yellow tag on all door plugs when they arrive in the factory with with relatively large lettering that says “Do not open.” And in smaller font it says “without contacting quality assurance.”

Employees raise concerns

Boeing employees’ testimony to NLRB regulators released as part of Tuesday’s hearings showed employees questioned the training they have to do for initiatives like reinstalling door plugs and making other changes on planes. They also complained about a relentless pressure for speed, planes hitting the assembly line floor rife with defects and employees for suppliers at Boeing factories treated like “cockroaches.”

Overall the testimony described a company in chaos with thin training and occasional confusion about who was doing what. All told the hearings so far paint a picture of a company that has yet to recover from a series of safety lapses that have left everyone from regulators to ordinary passengers rattled, lapses severe enough that the company has agreed to plead guilty to charges of defrauding the Federal Aviation Administration. Boeing faces the possibility of further criminal charges related to the Alaska Air incident. Under its announced guilty plea it will be required to operate under a federal monitor for years.

Boeing executives and those from supplier Spirit AeroSystems did their best to assure the NTSB that they have made changes in their operations that will prevent another near tragedy from occurring.

“We feel this will not be a recurring trend,” said Lund. She pointed to improved metrics and increased training and inspections that have taken place since the January 5 accident, and promised the changes at Boeing are permanent.

“These things won’t be taken away,” she said.

But she and other Boeing executives faced tough questions and criticisms from board members.

“I just want a word of caution here. This is not a PR campaign for Boeing,” Homendy said at one point in the hearing, chastising the company for focusing too much on what has happened since the accident and not enough on the problems that allowed the accident to occur.

“You can talk all about where you are today, there’s going to be plenty of time for that,” she said. “This is an investigation on what happened on January 5. Understand?”

As part of the public hearing the NTSB released 70 documents running nearly 4,000 pages, chock full of disturbing statements from Boeing workers and other experts, including from the Federal Aviation Administration, about the problems at Boeing.

 

Related article‘Cockroaches of the factory’: Workers paint a picture of chaos and dysfunction at Boeing

Workers, many of them not identified in the transcripts released by the NTSB, spoke about being pushed to do more work than they could do without making errors, of problems on plane after plane moving along the Boeing assembly lines, with a large portion of them regularly needing to be reworked.

The problems with the planes put the workers “in uncharted waters to where… we were replacing doors like we were replacing our underwear,” one worker told NTSB investigators.

“The planes come in jacked up every day. Every day,” the worker added.

‘Lean manufacturing’ eliminates inspections

One former FAA official told investigators that he blamed problems on Boeing moving to a “lean” manufacturing model to try to cut costs, and that it cut inspections as part of that process.

“A couple of ex-Toyota managers were brought in to build airplanes the way Toyota builds cars,” said James Phoenix, a retired manager of the FAA office that oversaw Boeing. He said when the FAA demanded that Boeing restore inspections, “they complied with all of that, but slowly, very slowly.”

Phoenix told the NTSB it took two fatal crashes of the 737 Max in 2018 and 2019 for Boeing to give in to FAA demands to restore inspections it had stopped doing.

“That really didn’t change until the Max 9 accidents where it brought a lot of things to light. So you need a lot of leverage to get Boeing to change and then when Boeing changes, it’s very slow and it took a long time for them to really understand that their quality system needed to improve.”

Lund defended Boeing’s use of lean manufacturing, saying it’s not at odds with the goal of safer, better quality aircraft.

“We really believe in is the number one way to improve ‘lean’ is to improve quality,” she said.

While Lund said Boeing is committed to making further improvements, Homendy said the company had plenty of evidence of quality issues and didn’t do enough to improve its practices until the Alaska Air incident.

“Where are we going in the future? So we don’t end up in another situation… (where further change comes from) a reaction to a terrible tragedy,” she said.

[deicer]

63 days in and still no idea of a return date for the Starliner capsule and two crew people.

https://www.cnn.com/2024/08/07/science/boeing-starliner-nasa-astronauts-return/index.html

Boeing Starliner astronauts have now been in space more than 60 days with no end in sight

Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams — two veteran NASA astronauts piloting the first crewed test flight of Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft — have now been in space for 63 days, roughly seven weeks longer than initially expected.

There is still no clear return date in sight.

CNN confirmed on Tuesday that NASA has not yet started a “flight readiness review” for the Starliner crew’s return from the International Space Station. The agency had said on July 26 that it would begin that process in the first couple days of August.

 

 

But Boeing and NASA teams appear to be working still on a return date as officials evaluate testing data and conduct analyses about the propulsion issues and helium leaks that hampered the first leg of the Starliner capsule’s flight.

The delay of the flight readiness review process indicates that Starliner’s return remains uncertain as officials work to come to an agreement on how the rest of the mission that had launched June 5 should play out.

NASA will host a briefing about the mission’s status at 12:30 p.m. ET Wednesday.

The US space agency is set to face a flurry of questions about recent reporting from media outlets suggesting the space agency is considering returning Wilmore and Williams on a SpaceX vehicle instead.

NASA has always had such a scenario in place as a mission contingency, but the primary goal is to bring the two astronauts home on Starliner. Boeing maintains that its spacecraft is safe for astronauts.

However, the space agency announced Tuesday that it was delaying the launch of SpaceX’s Crew-9 mission, a routine flight slated to fly with four astronauts to replace the Crew-8 mission on board the International Space Station.

Crew-9 had been slated to take off as soon as August 18 — with the expectation that the Starliner capsule would have returned home with its astronauts before then. Now, Crew-9 will not take off before September 24, NASA said.

“This adjustment allows more time for mission managers to finalize return planning for the agency’s Boeing Crew Flight Test,” NASA said in a Tuesday news release.

[Malcolm]

Boeing will spend $61M in B.C. as part of Canada's military planes contract

RICHMOND, B.C. — Boeing Canada plans to invest $61 million in British Columbia for an aerospace manufacturing training facility as well as research and development.

The announcement is the latest from the American aviation giant as part of a multibillion-dollar deal with Ottawa on the purchase of new military surveillance planes.

 

Minister of National Defence Bill Blair welcomed the spending at the Boeing Canada facility in Richmond, B.C., saying that as the government invests more in defence, it's ensuring it also delivers value for Canada's economy and its workers.

The federal government announced last year that it would buy as many as 16 Boeing P-8A Poseidon multi-mission aircraft to phase out the Aurora aircraft, which has been in service for more than 40 years.

Boeing plans to spend $48 million to build its research and development capacity at its Vancouver facility.

Another $13 million will be invested in the Indigenous-owned COTA Aviation, based in Parksville, B.C., to establish an aerospace manufacturing training facility to train 10 workers a year.

The more than $10-billion military plane agreement came with a promise from Boeing to provide $5.4 billion worth of business activities and investments in Canada over 10 years, which includes drawing on domestic suppliers and supporting 3,000 jobs.

 

Related video: Hearing seeks insight into blowout on a Boeing jet that pilots said threw the flight into ‘chaos’ (KSNT Topeka)

Boeing and its supplier, Kansas based Spirit Aero Systems,

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KSNT Topeka

Hearing seeks insight into blowout on a Boeing jet that pilots said threw the flight into ‘chaos’

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In April, the company announced it was investing $17 million in the Saskatchewan Aviation Learning Centre.

In May, it promised $240 million for a Quebec plan to become a global location for the development of drones and greener aircraft.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 7, 2024

The Canadian Press

[Falken]

P*ss poor compensation for Bombardier which was not even allowed to bid on the contract!

[Malcolm]

4 hours ago, deicer said:

63 days in and still no idea of a return date for the Starliner capsule and two crew people.

 

NASA is delaying its next astronaut launch to buy more time at the International Space Station for Boeing’s troubled new crew capsule.

The space agency said Tuesday it’s bumping SpaceX’s four-person flight from this month to next. It’s now targeted for Sept. 24 at the earliest. Officials said that will give them more time to analyze thruster and leak problems that hit Boeing’s Starliner capsule after its June liftoff, its first with a crew on board.

 

Tuesday marked the two-month point at the space station for Starliner’s test pilots, Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams, who should have been back by mid-June. NASA is weighing all its options for returning the two veteran astronauts, including a ride home in a SpaceX capsule.

“NASA and Boeing continue to evaluate the spacecraft’s readiness, and no decisions have been made regarding Starliner’s return,” NASA said in a statement. Further details were expected at a news conference set for Wednesday.

Only two docking ports at the space station can accommodate U.S. astronaut capsules and, right now, both are occupied. So one will need to be vacated before the next SpaceX crew can arrive. Russia has its own parking places for its Soyuz capsules.

The latest setback means the four astronauts who flew up with SpaceX in March now also face a longer mission than planned.

 

Related video: NASA faces tight deadline to return stranded astronauts to Earth (WION)

The International Space Station had a visit on Tuesday.

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NASA faces tight deadline to return stranded astronauts to Earth

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Over the past several weeks, Boeing has conducted thruster test firings on the ground as well as in space to better understand why five thrusters failed ahead of Starliner’s June 6 arrival at the space station. All but one came back online. Helium leaks in the capsule’s propulsion system also cropped up.

Citing the testing, the company late last week said: “Boeing remains confident in the Starliner spacecraft and its ability to return safely with crew.”

Boeing and SpaceX topped NASA's list for astronaut taxi service to and from the space station, after the shuttles retired in 2011. NASA signed contracts worth billions with both companies in order to have a backup in case one of them got sidelined by an accident.

SpaceX launched its first crew in 2020; the upcoming flight will be its 10th astronaut flight for NASA. It's also sent a few private crews into orbit.

 

Boeing has had to overcome multiple Starliner problems over the years. The company had to launch an empty Starliner twice before committing to a crew, repeating the initial flight test because of bad software and other issues. The delays have cost the company more than $1 billion.

[Malcolm]

 

Two astronauts stranded in space by problem-laden Boeing Starliner may return on SpaceX in 2025

Story by Josh Marcus and Mike Bedigan

 • 3h • 3 min read

Two astronauts stuck at the International Space Station since early June may not return back to Earth until 2025, NASA officials have said.

The space agency has been examining whether the two stranded astronauts could come home on board a SpaceX craft instead of the Boeing’s Starliner capsule, which has been beset with problems since its launch over two months ago.

 

There is lingering uncertainty over the safety of Boeing’s capsule, NASA officials said on Wednesday, and the space agency is split over the risk.

As a result, chances are increasing that test pilots Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams may have to watch from the space station as their Starliner is cut loose to return to Earth empty.

If that happens, NASA would leave behind two of four astronauts from the next SpaceX taxi flight in late September, with the vacant seats set aside for Wilmore and Williams on the return trip next February. The pair expected to be gone just a week or two when they launched June 5 as Starliner’s first crew.

NASA is bringing in additional experts to analyze the thruster failures experienced by Starliner before it docked. At the same time, NASA is looking more closely at SpaceX as a backup. At this point, “we could take either path,” said Ken Bowersox, NASA’s space operations mission chief.

 

The disagreements over Wilmore and Williams’ return to earth prompted officials to postpone an in-depth readiness review of the Starliner and to delay a SpaceX launch that was planned for Tuesday.

The Independent has contacted NASA, Boeing, and SpaceX for comment.

Publically, Boeing has insisted it still stands behind the Starliner, which suffered mechanical issues on its way to docking at the ISS on June 6 for what was supposed to be an eight-day mission.

“Boeing remains confident in the Starliner spacecraft and its ability to return safely with crew,” the company said in a statement on Friday. “We continue to support NASA’s requests for additional testing, data, analysis and reviews to affirm the spacecraft’s safe undocking and landing capabilities.”.

Bringing the astronauts back in a SpaceX capsule would be a major blow to Boeing.

 

The Boeing Starliner suffered mechanical issues on its way to the ISS (AP)

The June flight was its first crewed mission to the ISS on the Starliner, a flagship development from the aerospace giant meant to compete with SpaceX for contracts with NASA.

Last week, Boeing reported a $125m loss on the Starliner program, adding to $1.1bn in previous losses it has taken on the effort, according to SEC filings.

 

The ability of the Starliner to complete its ISS mission could weigh on the fate of the half-dozen contracts it has with NASA for future flights, according to the Journal.

The issues with the Starliner add to a season of difficulty for Boeing, which has been under heavy scrutiny amid a series of mechanical issues and whistleblower claims surrounding its commercial aircraft.

These questions will all surely be on the agenda of Robert “Kelly” Ortberg, who assumes the role of chief executive at Boeing on Thursday.

The Independent has always had a global perspective. Built on a firm foundation of superb international reporting and analysis, The Independent now enjoys a reach that was inconceivable when it was launched as an upstart player in the British news industry. For the first time since the end of the Second World War, and across the world, pluralism, reason, a progressive and humanitarian agenda, and internationalism – Independent values – are under threat. Yet we, The Independent, continue to grow.

[deicer]

With the latest update, they are saying the two could return in February 2025 with the regular crew rotation on a SpaceEx capsule.  Can you imagine the conversation with their family? 'Hi Honey, I know I was only supposed to be at work for a week, but I'll see you in 8 months!'  

I feel Boeing is pushing hard to return the crew on their capsule to avoid the scandal of another failure.  Why is it taking so long to say whether it is safe or not?  The longer it takes, the more doubts would grow.  IMO just have it return empty.  If it lands safely, then they can claim they were right.  I think even they have too many doubts though.

Just to add, why is it taking so long for them to come up with a solution?  Back in 1970 Apollo 13 engineers, with far less resources, were able to come up with a solution in hours to bring the astronauts home safely.  What's taking Boeing so long?

https://www.cnn.com/2024/08/07/science/boeing-starliner-nasa-astronauts-return/index.html

Starliner contingency planning

Officials said they had several return scenarios they are considering if Starliner is deemed unsafe to bring Williams and Wilmore home.

One option is to launch a planned SpaceX Crew Dragon mission, Crew-9, with two astronauts on board instead of four. That would leave two seats empty for Williams and Wilmore to occupy on the Crew-9 flight home, but that would also make the astronauts part of the overall Crew-9 rotation on the International Space Station. That means Williams and Wilmore would remain on the station for an additional six months — the length of a routine mission to the ISS — pushing their return to at least February 2025.

In that case, Starliner would be left to fly home empty. And NASA would then have to decide whether the data the mission gathered on this flight is enough to give the space agency the confidence to officially certify Starliner to make routine trips to orbit.

Still, NASA noted, it is not certain that the space agency will need a contingency plan at all.

“We haven’t approved this this plan,” Stich said. “In other words, we’ve done all the work to make sure this plan is there; we have the suits identified to fly up on Crew-9 (for Williams and Wilmore to wear aboard Crew Dragon).  … But we have not turned that on formally, as that’s the path that we’re going to go down.”

[Malcolm]

Astronauts stranded in space will unlikely be home for Christmas, says Nasa (msn.com)

Two astronauts who have been stuck on the International Space Station (ISS) for two months won’t be coming down anytime soon, Nasa said today.

Sunita Williams and Barry ‘Butch’ Wilmore were only meant to visit the orbital outpost for eight days as part of a test flight.

But their ride, Boeing’s Starliner, saw its propulsion system glitch out while docking, forcing Nasa to ask the pair to stay put while engineers conduct tests.

 

Nasa officials said today at an audio briefing that no return flight has been confirmed so far – but going home on the Starliner in an emergency is the plan B.

Ken Bowersox, the associate administrator at Nasa’s Space Operations Mission Directorate, said at an audio briefing that William and Wilmore are ‘well engaged’ on the ISS.

 

‘I know if I was in their position I’d be really happy to be there,’ he said. ‘I’d be happy to have the extra time.’

They could be on board the ISS for another eight months, Bowersox said, as they’d have to wait to hitch a ride from a scheduled flight home from SpaceX, Elon Musk’s rocket company.

Other than that, the space agency isn’t entirely sure what to do. A decision was expected to be made in mid-August – now it’ll be the last week of the month.

‘This mission was a test flight,’ added Nasa’s chief astronaut, Joe Acaba. ‘They knew this mission might not be perfect.’

Asked if the Starliner would be used if an emergency happened on the ISS, Bowersox said: ‘We think the risk is reasonable to put Butch and Suni on that vehicle in a contingency.’

The space agency has a ‘lot of confidence’ in Starliner.

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Exactly why five of the Starliner capsule’s 28 thrusters malfunctioned is unclear. Starliner’s computer rebooted them and managed to get four to fire, albeit, with diminished power.

Starliner also suffered five helium leaks – the inert gas is used to help power the thrusters in the near-weightless environment of orbit.

Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.

For more stories like this, check our news page.

[Malcolm]

• READ MORE: NASA report lays bare how Boeing's Starliner stranded astronauts

The US Air Force has awarded a $2.56 billion contract to scandal-plagued aerospace giant Boeing for two prototype aircrafts.

The funds will help develop the new E-7A Wedgetai

 

The effort will see specific USA mission systems integrated into the aircraft, which is based on the 737-700 airliner. 

While the US military is touting the partnership as 'a significant win for our warfighters,' the contract comes as Boeing's faulty Starliner has left astronauts stranded in space for more than two months.

 

The United States Air Force announced Friday that it would be awarding another $2.56 billion to scandal-plagued aerospace giant Boeing for two prototype aircraft. Above, a Boeing office in Annapolis Junction, Maryland as photographed in 2019

 

'This agreement is a significant win for our warfighters, paving the way for ensuring the air force's ability to provide advanced airborne moving target indication in the coming years,' said Andrew Hunter, Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Acquisition, Technology, and Logistics.

 

'It is also an exemplar of our ability to leverage and support the expertise and investments of our partners and allies to support our common security objectives.'

In its annual report last year, Boeing told shareholders that 37 percent of its 2023 revenues came from its US government contracts, which would include its troubled CST-100 Starliner for NASA as well as foreign military sales to US allies.

 

Related video: Boeing E-7: The U.S. Air Force's New Plane (Newsweek)

 

 

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Boeing E-7: The U.S. Air Force's New Plane

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The E-7A Wedgetail is expected to see use by Royal Australian Air Force and the UK's Royal Air Force (RAF), in part because Australian forces are already working with similar Boeing 737-derived platforms.

The E-7A Wedgetail is what is known as an airborne early warning and control (AEW&C) aircraft.

The Pentagon has billed the souped-up Boeing 737 as a 'future tactical battle management, command and control and moving target indication platform' for its ability to provide eyes on both ground- and air-based threats facing pilots in the battlefield. 

The hope is that these craft will replace the aging fleet of E-3 Sentry airborne warning and control system (AWACS) aircraft, built of older Boeing 707s. 

But Boeing is only playing a partial role in this project: The metal fuselages of its 737's are being cut into E-7As by Spirit AeroSystems in Wichita, Kansas

Then, with the tops of those jets' fuselages removed, reinforced supports will be installed for the mounting of an advanced multirole electronically scanned array (MESA) radar from Northrop Grumman. 

'In partnership with Boeing, we are committed to delivering MESA sensors at a pace that meets the needs of our customers,' Northrop Grumman's vice president for airborne surveillance programs Ed Griebel said, according to Aviation Week. 

'We remain committed to providing multifunction sensors that address and reflect the evolving global battlespace environment,' Griebel said.

 

Above, Boeing CEO Dave Calhoun speaking to reporters January 24, 2024 as he departs from a meeting at the office of Senator Mark Warner of Virginia in Washington, DC

Attorneys for the families of the passengers killed in two, fatal Boeing 737 MAX commercial jet crashes have directly linked the firm's lucrative NASA and US defense contracts to what they describe with as 'this sweetheart deal' guilty plea. 

With its guilty plea, Boeing has agreed to pay a $243.6 million fine over two, fatal Boeing 737 MAX passenger jet crashes in 2018 and 2019: tragedies that have heralded waves of congressional hearings and exposés on the company's failings.

The new plea came amid a summer that saw Boeing's critics pointing to low Earth orbit, where the firm's leaky Starliner spacecraft has been docked indefinitely to the International Space Station, leaving two astronauts trapped in space until 2025.

NASA's Office of the Inspector General has called for 'financial penalties' over the debacle, which it attributed to Boeing's 'noncompliance with quality control.' 

Inspection teams had discovered five different leaks within Starliner's propulsion system before the June launch undermining the craft's ability navigate back to Earth.

Nevertheless, Pentagon officials said they found no reason these evolving scandals would impact their existing contracts with the aerospace firm. 

'We will be working in a coordinated fashion,' the Air Force's assistant secretary for acquisition, technology and logistics, Andrew Hunter, said this July, 'to understand what implications there might be from the plea deal.'

'But I don't anticipate at this point that it is going to [...] lead to significant disruption of our contracting,' the Air Force procurement official stated.

 

NASA partnered with Pentagon investigators to review Boeing's 'numerous administrative errors' on Starliner. Above NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams are welcomed by the ISS crew upon their arrival using the Boeing Starliner spacecraft on Thursday, June 6, 2024

 

In one instance, a crucial liquid oxygen fuel tank dome was found isolated for potential disposal due to 'Boeing's unsatisfactory welding operations.' Above, a photo of the improperly welded dome (left) at the Michoud Assembly Facility, as published in the new NASA report

But Boeing's E-7A Wedgetail, named after the triangular radar array installed near its tail, has already hit cost overruns and delays that have worried some in Congress. 

'At the Air Force's request, we appropriated another $200 million above the president's budget to accelerate this program,' Senator Roger Wicker, a ranking member of the US Senate Armed Services Committee, complained in May 2023.

 

'It did not get accelerated,' the Mississippi Republican noted, 'and we wonder why, where the $200 million went.'

Budget projections for the E-7A Wedgetail program that year estimated that somewhere north of $7.4 billion would be needed through 2028 to supply the first 10 of an expected 26 total Wedgetails for the Air Force. 

The total cumulative value of this latest contract for the project is $2,560,846,860.

Boeing enjoyed $14.8 billion in Pentagon contracts in 2022, per government reports.

 

Above, Boeing's MQ-28 Ghost Bat - one of five contenders for the Air Force's Collaborative Combat Aircraft program of AI-piloted fighter jets. The bats are Boeing's bid for a $6 billion contract for 1,000 AI-piloted fighters, designed for moves too dangerous for manned planes

 

Above, a Boeing P-8 Poseidon maritime patrol plane of the US Air Force flies over neutral waters of the Black Sea - captured on video by Russian military forces

Among the other billions in taxpayer-funded defense spending that Boeing is currently vying for: a $6 billion contract for 1,000 AI-piloted fighter jets, which Boeing dubs the 'ghost bat,' designed for moves too dangerous for manned planes.

Four other defense companies are bidding for that contract: Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, General Atomics and Anduril Industries. 

 

But only Boeing's MQ-28 Ghost Bat has been flown publicly.

Outside of the military-industrial complex, lawyers for the victims killed in Boeing's 2018 and 2019 passenger jet disasters have blasted federal investigators for its cozy relationship to the aerospace firm.

One attorney for the families, Paul Cassell, recast the guilty plea and its $243.6 million fine as 'crafty lawyering between Boeing and DOJ [Department of Justice].'

Cassell called for a public trial where true justice could be meted out.

'The only way to assure public confidence in the outcome here is for the court — not the parties — to determine the appropriate sentence,' Cassell said. 

'Perhaps this deal serves the public interest,' the families' attorney continued, 'although in the sections that follow the families argue strenuously to the contrary'

Another lawyer for the deceased passengers' families, Adrian Vuckovich, tied the negotiated plea directly to the government's many ongoing contracts with Boeing.

 

'To actually charge Boeing and its senior management with the actual crimes committed, including the homicide of 346 passengers, would make any explanation of ongoing business dealings difficult and uncomfortable,' Vuckovich opined.

'Particularly,' he said, 'in an election year.'

[Malcolm]

NASA’s decision on Boeing Starliner astronauts more than a week away

 

Two NASA astronauts who have had their mission to the International Space Station repeatedly extended due to problems with the Boeing Starliner spacecraft will need to wait at least another week before they learn how and when they are returning to Earth.

 

At a Wednesday new conference, NASA officials said a decision should come at the end of next week or the beginning of the following week.

“We’re reaching a point where that last week in August, we really should be making a call, if not sooner,” said NASA Associate Administrator Ken Bowersox when asked by CNN about when a decision has to be made.

Among the issues is a limited supply of “consumables” — such as food — on board the space station.

NASA is currently weighing two options for the Starliner crew’s return to Earth. They include flying home on Starliner, which is the vehicle that brought them to the space station on Boeing’s first crewed test flight, or using seats on a SpaceX Crew Dragon vehicle that was already slated to fly a routine staffing mission to the orbiting laboratory.

The US space agency has acknowledged there have been internal disagreements about what to do. Boeing representatives did not participate in the news conference. The aerospace giant has repeatedly expressed its confidence in Starliner’s ability to make the return trip.

 

Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams — the two veteran NASA astronauts who are piloting the Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft — arrived at the space station on June 6, and they have now been in space roughly nine weeks longer than initially expected.

NASA officials made clear last week that SpaceX, Boeing’s rival under NASA’s Commercial Crew Program, may be tapped to bring Williams and Wilmore home instead of Starliner. The move could potentially extend the astronauts’ stay on the space station by another six months, pushing their return into 2025, agency officials said in an August 7 news conference.

For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com

[Malcolm]

El Al orders up to $2.5 bln worth of Boeing 737 MAX jets - Reuters (msn.com)

El Al orders up to $2.5 bln worth of Boeing 737 MAX jets - Reuters© Reuters

Investing.com -- El Al (TASE:ELAL) on Thursday said it has signed a deal with Boeing (NYSE:BA) to acquire up to 31 of its 737 MAX aircraft, valued at a potential $2.5 billion, as per a Reuters report. 

The agreement involves an order for 20 737 MAX jets, valued at $1.5 billion. El Al also has the option to purchase an additional 11 aircraft.

The Israeli flag carrier plans to replace its aging fleet of Boeing 737-800 and 737-900 models with the new aircraft, the report added. 

Deliveries are scheduled to commence in 2028, with the possibility of early arrivals as soon as 2027 through leasing arrangements.

 

Related video: Whistleblower: Boeing Used Rusty Parts to Construct 737s (Newsweek)

 

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[Malcolm]

 

FILE PHOTO: Boeing 737 MAX aircraft are assembled at the company’s plant in Renton, Washington, U.S. June 25, 2024. Jennifer Buchanan/Pool via REUTERS/File Photo© Thomson Reuters

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A plea deal struck with Boeing should be accepted, the U.S. Justice Department said in a court filing on Wednesday, after some relatives of the 346 people killed in two fatal 737 MAX crashes called for it to be rejected.

Last month, the planemaker finalized an agreement to plead guilty to a criminal fraud conspiracy charge and pay at least $243.6 million after breaching a 2021 deferred prosecution agreement.

(Reporting by Jasper Ward; Editing by Eric Beech)

 

Related video: Attorneys ask judge to block DOJ plea deal with Boeing (FOX 13 Seattle)

The move would settle accusations that Boeing deceived FAA regulators

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Attorneys ask judge to block DOJ plea deal with Boeing

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[W5]

Boeing grounds 777X test fleet after failure of key engine mounting structure

Boeing has sidelined its 777X test fleet after a routine post-flight inspection revealed the failure of a crucial piece of structure that mounts the engine to the aircraft. A similar finding was made on its two other active test aircraft, prompting a halt in test flying for the massive Boeing twin-engine jetliner, according to two people familiar with the issue.

Boeing confirmed the discovery and its impact on flight testing, telling The Air Current in an e-mailed statement, “During scheduled maintenance, we identified a component that did not perform as designed. Our team is replacing the part and capturing any learnings from the component and will resume flight testing when ready.”

The two people familiar with the severed thrust link said the issue was discovered on Boeing’s third 777-9 test aircraft, WH003, after it completed a five-hour 31-minute flight on Aug. 16 from Kona Airport in Hawaii. Subsequent inspections on other 777-9 test aircraft back on the mainland revealed cracks in the thrust link structure.

The finding is a frustrating setback for the long-delayed 777X, which had been picking up momentum since it began Federal Aviation Administration flight testing in July, though aircraft developers and regulators overwhelmingly prefer that such issues be discovered during testing rather than in service with an airline operator.

https://theaircurrent.com/aircraft-development/boeing-grounds-777x-test-fleet-after-failure-of-key-engine-mounting-structure/

[Malcolm]

FILE PHOTO: An employee walks past a fuselage section under construction at Boeing Co.'s 787 Dreamliner campus in North Charleston, South Carolina, U.S., May 30, 2023. Gavin McIntyre/Pool via REUTERS/File Photo© Thomson Reuters

By David Shepardson and Eric Beech

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration said on Monday it would require inspections of Boeing 787 Dreamliners following an incident in March when a LATAM Airlines plane went into a sudden mid-air dive that injured more than 50 passengers.

 

The FAA said the apparent reason for the dive was the uncommanded movement of the captain's seat, which caused the auto-pilot to disconnect. The agency said it had received a total of five reports of similar problems with the captain and first officer seats on 787s, the most recent in June, and two remain under investigation.

The FAA's airworthiness directive impacts 158 U.S.-registered airplanes and 737 airplanes worldwide and requires airlines to inspect the captain’s and first officer’s seats on 787-7, 787-9, and 787-10 airplanes for missing or cracked rocker switch caps or for cracked switch cover assemblies within 30 days.

Airlines must perform any necessary corrective actions if issues are found.

The FAA said uncommanded horizontal movement of an occupied seat could result in a rapid descent of the airplane and serious injury to passengers and crew.

 

Related video: Boeing admits defrauding US government (FOX 13 Seattle)

Boeing is guilty. The government just punished a local airplane

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And the beat goes on for Boeing

US FAA requires inspections of Boeing 787 planes following mid-air dive (msn.com)

US FAA requires inspections of Boeing 787 planes following mid-air dive

Story by Reuters

 • 1h • 

Boeing and LATAM Airlines did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Separately, Boeing said Monday it had halted test flights on its 777-9 that is awaiting certification after a component between the engine and airplane structure was identified as failing to perform during a maintenance check.

The FAA said Boeing had informed it the company discovered a damaged component following a 777-9 flight test last week.

Boeing in July began certification flight testing of its long-delayed 777-9 with FAA regulators onboard after receiving Type Inspection Authorization.

Boeing added "no near-term flight tests were planned on the other flight test airplanes" and said the part is custom to the 777-9.

(Reporting by Eric Beech and David Shepardson; editing by Chris Reese and Stephen Coates)

[deicer]

 

[Don Hudson]

Documents held by Boeing kept from FAA & investigators made public August 22 2024:

https://www.foundationforaviationsafety.org/max-documents-august-2024

[conehead]

1 hour ago, Don Hudson said:

Documents held by Boeing kept from FAA & investigators made public August 22 2024:

https://www.foundationforaviationsafety.org/max-documents-august-2024

Wow, it’s been a while since I’ve seen you post anything. Hope you are doing well!

[Don Hudson]

Hi conehead - thank you!, - yes, a while for sure; dropped in once in a while - nothing other than just taking a break from writing - We are all healthy and happy with three young grandchildren, (6, 8 & 10, all girls!), so busy and doing a lot of photography work.

Cheers!

Don