Boeing’s 737 Max program is seeing a change in leadership following a dramatic incident with one of the planes. The previously responsible top manager, Ed Clark, is leaving the company with immediate effect, Boeing announced on Wednesday. Katie Ringgold, who was previously responsible for deliveries, will be her successor.
At the beginning of January, a part of the fuselage in seat row 26 broke off shortly after takeoff while climbing on a virtually new 737-9 Max with more than 170 people on board. At this point, some configurations of the more seat type have a door. The affected variant of the 737-9 Max instead has a cover that closes the opening. No one was seriously injured in the incident with an Alaska Airlines plane – coincidentally, the two seats directly at the opening were empty.
After an investigation lasting several weeks, the US accident investigation authority NTSB assumes that fastening bolts were missing from the fragment. Ringgold will also take over management of the factory in Renton, Washington, where the machines are assembled, from Clark. The incident put pressure on Boeing to quickly improve quality controls.
Boeing is now creating a new position in the top management of the commercial aircraft division. Elizabeth Lund will take care of quality control both within the group and among suppliers, wrote division boss Stan Deal in an email to employees. She previously oversaw the production of all of Boeing’s passenger aircraft. The fuselage of the 737 Max models is primarily built by the supplier Spirit Aerosystems.
Boeing is focused on ensuring that every aircraft delivered meets or exceeds quality and safety requirements, assured Deal. In the 737 program there were, among other things, problems with incorrectly drilled holes in the fuselage.
The US aviation authority FAA inspected Boeing production and after the incident stopped the aircraft manufacturer’s plans to expand production of the 737 Max models until further notice. The group needs this to process the order books. Customers already have to prepare for long waiting times.
