FAA audit finds quality control deficiencies at Boeing and Spirit AeroSystems

The Federal Aviation Administration said Monday that a six-week audit of Boeing and one of its key suppliers, Spirit AeroSystems, revealed “multiple instances” in which the companies failed to meet quality control requirements.

As part of the audit, which looked at production of the Boeing 737 Max, the FAA said it “identified noncompliance issues in the control of Boeing’s manufacturing process, parts handling and storage, and product control.” The regulator has not publicly released further details.

The FAA initiated the audit after a door panel on a 737 Max 9 jet came loose at about 16,000 feet in early January, raising new questions about quality control practices at Boeing and Spirit, which could damage the fuselage or body of the 737 Max.

Boeing did not immediately comment. A Spirit spokesman, Joe Buccino, said the company was reviewing the findings and “in communication with Boeing and the FAA regarding appropriate corrective actions.”

The incident involving the door panel, known as a door plug, occurred on an Alaska Airlines flight shortly after it took off from Portland, Oregon, on January 5. The FAA quickly grounded similar Max 9 jets, even though the planes were allowed to do so. to be put back into use later that month after inspection.

In a preliminary report last month, the National Transportation Safety Board said four bolts used to secure the door plug had been removed from the plane at Boeing’s plant in Renton, Washington. The report suggested that the bolts may not have been reinstalled before the aircraft entered service.

The FAA audit was one of several steps the regulator took in the wake of the through-plug episode to step up oversight of Boeing’s manufacturing processes. The agency also opened an investigation into whether the aircraft manufacturer had failed to ensure its products were safe and conformed to approved design, and it banned the company from increasing production of the 737 Max series until quality control issues were resolved.

Last week, the FAA gave Boeing 90 days to develop a plan to improve quality control practices. The planemaker has already announced a leadership change in its commercial aircraft division, saying Friday it was in talks to acquire Spirit, which it founded nearly two decades ago.