After the incident with a Boeing aircraft in which a part of the fuselage fell out in flight, the US aviation authority FAA has initiated an investigation against the company. The circumstances indicated that the planemaker may have neglected its production, inspection and testing obligations, it said in a published letter to Boeing. The company was given ten working days to respond.
Over the weekend, the FAA ordered Boeing 737-9 Max aircraft to be grounded and inspected. In the model variant, the component closes a door opening that is not required. On an Alaska Airlines flight on Friday last week, the part suddenly tore off shortly after takeoff while climbing. During subsequent inspections, Alaska and United Airlines also found loose fasteners in other aircraft of the type.
Boeing admits mistakes
After the FAA letter, Boeing reiterated that it would work transparently with the aviation authority and the accident investigation agency NTSB. CEO Dave Calhoun had already promised full clarification this week. “We will approach this first and foremost by admitting our mistake,” he told employees on Tuesday.
In the incident, the approximately 170 passengers escaped with horror, even though there was a hole in the fuselage. At the same time, experts pointed out that, by a lucky coincidence, the two seats directly next to the part of the fuselage that had broken out remained empty.
