The Federal Aviation Administration's six-week audit of the clowns running Boeing and Spirit AeroSystems has found dozens of problems in the 737 Max manufacturing process, according to The New York Times, citing an FAA presentation.
During Boeing's audit, the FAA conducted 89 product reviews, which evaluated the manufacturing process. Of the 89 audits, the planemaker passed 56 but did not meet specific standards in 33, resulting in 97 alleged noncompliance.
The presentation comes two months after a door plug ripped off a 737 Max 9 during an Alaska Airlines flight. Since then, Boeing has come under intense scrutiny over its manufacturing process. The latest findings should concern airlines operating fleets of these planes and passengers.
The audit then focused on Spirit AeroSystems, which makes fuselage or other parts for the 737 Max. According to the presentation, Spirit only passed six audits while failing seven.
FAA investigators noticed mechanics at Spirit using a hotel key card to measure door seals. Some mechanics also used Dawn soap as a "lubricant" during the door fitting process.
When asked about mechanics using hotel key cards or Dawn soap, Spirit spokesman Joe Buccino said the company was "reviewing all identified nonconformities for corrective action."
Additionally, the Spirit audit found five problems with the door plug component. It shockingly failed the installation part. The audit also raised concerns about the technicians who carried out the work.
Many of the problems found by auditors fell in the category of now following an "approved manufacturing process, procedure or instruction. Other issues include a lapse in quality control in the manufacturing processes.
The FAA gave Boeing three months to develop a comprehensive plan for quality-control improvements. Boeing CEO Dave Calhoun said, "We have a clear picture of what needs to be done."
Meanwhile, Boeing and federal regulators have their hands full after several aircraft incidents last week.
And there's this from Monday evening:
All the chaos surrounding Boeing's "death trap" planes has caused a boycott, as passengers are using online travel booking website Kayak's plane filter to find Airbus flights only for their next trip.
Oh, and there's this.
What a disaster.