Boeing's records of who worked on the doorplug that blew off an Alaska Airlines 737 MAX jet deleted

The U.S. National Transportation Safety Board Chair Jennifer Homendy has written a letter to a Senate committee that is investigating the Alaska Airlines 737 MAX doorplug blow out on 5th January, informing them of Boeing's lack of records.

Homendy stated that the NTSB doesn’t know who worked on the panel that blew off a 737 MAX 9 because Boeing’s CEO told her that he couldn’t provide the information because the company has no records about the job.  “The absence of those records will complicate the NTSB’s investigation moving forward,”

Homendy told senators last week that the NTSB asked Boeing for security camera footage that might help identify who worked on the panel in September, but was told the video was overwritten after 30 days — months before the blowout. Boeing delayed weeks before providing the names of 25 employees that work on doors at the manufacturer's Seattle facility, only handing over the information after Homendy had started giving her statement.  

Former Boeing whistleblower found dead

Police are still investigating the death of a former Boeing employee and whistleblower, John Barnett. Initial reports indicated that Barnett had died from what appeared to be "self-inflicted" gunshot wounds on 9th March.  

Former Delta pilot threatened to shoot Captain multiple times during flight..

Jonathan Dunn a pilot with Delta Air Lines is alleged to have used a gun to “assault and intimidate” the captain of an aircraft and threatening to shoot them multiple times if the flight was diverted due to a passenger suffering a medical emergency.

Reports indicate that Dunn was indicted by a grand jury at the US District Court for the District of Utah changed with interfering with the crew of a commercial airline flight on that took place in August last year.

In a statement from the Department of Transportation Office of the Inspector General says the indictment alleges that, on or about August 22, 2022, Jonathan Dunn, the crew’s First Officer, interfered with the performance of a crew member by using a dangerous weapon to assault and intimidate the Captain. Dunn was authorized to carry a firearm through the Transportation Security Administration’s Federal Flight Deck Officer programme. The programme allows a number of commercial airline pilots and flight crew of commercial aircraft to fly with concealed weapons and act as law enforcement officers to defend the flight deck of aircraft against acts of criminal violence or air piracy.  The TSA hasn't stated how many FFDOs there are, however, the programme's budget last year was $20,751,000. 

Delta has confirmed to local media that Dunn worked for the company at the time of the incident but was no longer employed by them and has since refused to comment because of the "ongoing aviation authority investigation of this incident”.

Delta pilot said to have used gun to assault and intimidate captain over medical emergency diversion...

Jonathan Dunn a pilot with Delta Air Lines is alleged to have used a gun to “assault and intimidate” the captain of an aircraft and threatening to shoot them multiple times if the flight was diverted due to a passenger suffering a medical emergency.

Reports indicate that Dunn was indicted by a grand jury at the US District Court for the District of Utah changed with interfering with the crew of a commercial airline flight on that took place in August last year.

In a statement from the Department of Transportation Office of the Inspector General says the indictment alleges that, on or about August 22, 2022, Jonathan Dunn, the crew’s First Officer, interfered with the performance of a crew member by using a dangerous weapon to assault and intimidate the Captain. Dunn was authorized to carry a firearm through the Transportation Security Administration’s Federal Flight Deck Officer programme. The programme allows a number of commercial airline pilots and flight crew of commercial aircraft to fly with concealed weapons and act as law enforcement officers to defend the flight deck of aircraft against acts of criminal violence or air piracy.  The TSA hasn't stated how many FFDOs there are, however, the programme's budget last year was $20,751,000. 

Delta has confirmed to local media that Dunn worked for the company at the time of the incident but was no longer employed by them and has since refused to comment because of the "ongoing aviation authority investigation of this incident”.

US FAA cuts minimum flight requirements at New York airports

Citing air traffic controller staffing issues, U.S. regulators announced on Friday they will again extend cuts to minimum flight requirements at congested New York City-area airports through October 2024, giving relief to airlines who faced delays because of government staffing issues, reports Reuters. 

Under minimum flight requirements, airlines can lose their takeoff and landing slots at congested airports if they do not use them at least 80% of the time. The waiver allows airlines to not fly some flights and still retain slots.

The FAA said the number of certified controllers at the New York Terminal Radar Approach Control (N90) "is still not sufficient to allow the FAA to handle normal traffic levels,"

The FAA said it continues working "on a long-term solution to solve the chronic low levels of fully certified air traffic controllers at N90."

Airlines for America, an industry group, said it appreciated "this latest waiver extension as the FAA navigates air traffic controller staffing shortages... U.S. airlines will continue to operate larger aircraft to help reduce pressure."

U.S. Transportation Deputy Secretary Polly Trottenberg is taking over as acting head of the Federal Aviation Administration,,,,

U.S. Transportation Deputy Secretary Polly Trottenberg is taking over as acting head of the Federal Aviation Administration, the department said on Thursday.

President Joe Biden also plans to name Katie Thomson, the FAA's chief of staff, as deputy administrator, replacing Bradley Mims.

Trottenberg's appointment is effective immediately. She replaces Billy Nolen, who has been acting head of the FAA since April 2022. Nolen announced in April that he would resign after a new administrator was nominated.

In March, Denver International Airport CEO Phil Washington withdrew his nomination to serve as FAA administrator after Republican criticism. The White House has not yet named a new nominee.

More safety concerns at Boeing forces new FAA review to take place.

American news agency Bloomberg and newspaper the Wall Street Journal is reporting that aviation regulator, the Federal Aviation Administration in the U.S. has opened a special review of Boeing after numerous employees said they couldn't raise safety concerns without interference or intimidation from the planemaker.

The report indicates that a survey was carried out by the FAA between May and July discovered that 35% of Boeing employees interviewed said conflicts of interest and a lack of independence prevented safety issues to be reported.

“Boeing’s company culture appears to hamper members of the ODA [Organization Designation Authorization], unit from communicating openly with the FAA,” the FAA said in a letter that was obtained by Bloomberg. The ODA is a special group within Boeing that is authorized to make safety decisions on behalf of authorities and was supposed to maintain an independent operation. The letter went on to say,  “These concerns require an objective review and further fact-finding,” it was signed by Ian Won, the acting head of the FAA office which monitors Boeing. 

The US Federal Aviation Administration issues emergency airworthiness corrosion warning on parked 737 NG and Classic aircraft

The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration -FAA has issued an emergency airworthiness warning of possible corrosion on over 2,000 U.S.-registered Boeing 737 NG and Classic aircraft, that have been parked up and stored during the pandemic.

The warning of possible corrosion came from the FAA on Friday which could lead to a dual-engine failure.  According to reports, some inspectors had found compromised air check valves when returning aircraft to service following a period of storage following four recent reports of single-engine shutdowns on aircraft that had been parked for seven or more days.

The 737's manufacturer,  Boeing  reported on Friday that it advised operators to inspect the aircraft, “with airplanes being stored or used infrequently due to lower demand during the COVID-19 pandemic, the valve can be more susceptible to corrosion.”

The point of the directive, the FAA said was to address corrosion of the engine bleed air 5th stage check valves for both engines. To avoid compressor stalls and dual-engine power loss without the ability to restart.

Alaska Airlines confirmed that one of its aircraft is likely one of the four incidents and was inspecting valves on all aircraft as they return to service.

Recommended for you...

Rule changes from the US FAA so that airlines no longer need to fly empty aircraft to keep airport slots

The US  Federal Aviation Administration has confirmed it will be temporarily waiving a rule that has forced airlines to fly empty or flights with just a few passengers on in order not to lose key take-off and landing slots at major airports.

The FAA said it would waive the rules until May 31st in order to help airlines as they face the increased cost and lack of demand because of the Coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic. The relaxation of the rules will affect many of the major airports in the US including Washington's Dulles, Chicago’s O’Hare and New York's John F. Kennedy.

The FAA waiver covers both US and foreign airlines and it hopes that foreign regulators would also adopt a similar stance in similar rules.  The European Union already confirmed it would change legislation to allow airlines, to stop operating flights as the demand decreases.

Recommended for you...

FAA Needs To Improve Its Oversight To Address Maintenance Issues Impacting Safety at Allegiant Air

The US Department of Transportation has issued a bulleting regarding the budget carrier Allegiant Air following an increased number of in-flight engine shutdowns, aborted takeoffs, and unscheduled landings—have raised concerns about its maintenance practices.

Allegiant Air is the 11th largest US passenger airline, carrying approximately 14 million passengers a year and has grown rapidly in the last year or so. The US Department of Transportation conducted an audit of the carrier with the main objectives of assessing FAA’s processes for investigating improper maintenance practices at Allegiant Air. Specifically, we assessed FAA’s (1) oversight of longstanding maintenance issues impacting safety at Allegiant Air and (2) process for ensuring Allegiant Air implemented effective corrective actions to address the root causes of maintenance problems.

DJI Is Reviewing FAA Proposal To Identify Drones In American Skies

DJI, the world’s leader in civilian drones and aerial imaging technology, is reviewing proposed rule from the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to remotely identify drones in American skies. The FAA proposal outlines its own approach to identify airborne drones, which is a major step toward integrating drones into everyday life for business, government, education, photography and fun.

The FAA’s Notice of Proposed Rulemaking, which will be made available at this link and in the official Federal Register, proposes to require substantially all civilian drones to include remote identification technologies. Similar to the function of a car license plate, a Remote ID mechanism would help authorities identify and monitor airborne drones and their pilots, and provide information for further investigation if necessary. DJI is carefully reviewing the FAA’s proposed rule and encourages all its customers and partners in the drone industry to do the same, in preparation for the submission of written comments to the FAA early next year.

The FAA knew the 737 Max aircraft was unsafe and likely to crash 15 times during its life span after the Lion Air disaster and before the Ethiopian crash

The second crash of a Boeing 737 Max could have and should have been avoided it has been revealed this week, after analysis carried out by the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) after the first crash the twin jet in October 2018 clearly indicated that the MCAS flight-control that pitched the nose down would likely lead to as many as 15 catastrophic accidents over a 30 to 45-year life span if it was left unfixed.  Yet the FAA didn't ground the jets then and there, its leaders let the fatally flawed jet's continue to operate even after a second crash which left hundreds dead.   Indeed,  even after that second crash of an Ethiopian Airlines jet,  the FAA continued to safe the type was safe and was shamed into grounding the aircraft after virtually all the major national air safety authorities around the world grounded the 737 Max, over safety fears. 

The FAA’s own analysis was disclosed yesterday to the US House Transportation Committee Hearing which is investigating the FAA's oversight of Boeing and the 737 Max certification process. 

Peter DeFazio, chairman of the committee said: "The FAA rolled the dice on the safety of the travelling public and let the Max continue to fly until Boeing could overhaul its MCAS software."

After a new Boeing 737 Max of Lion Air Max plunged into the sea off the coast of Indonesia in October 2018, the FAA carried out a risk assessment, which lead to the shocking conclusion the type would suffer a crash between every one to two years should the faulty software not be fixed. The FAA's leaders then took the decision to allow the Max to continue to operate - a decision that would prove to be deadly.

Boeing and FAA slammed by expert panel over the 737 Max certification

All backed up and nowhere to go.....                                                                     Photo Reuters

The US Federal Aviation Authority (FAA) has been slammed by an expert panel over its oversight of Boeing's 737 Max and its certification process, following the two fatal crashes that took the lives of 346 people and lead to the global grounding of the type.

The major multi-agency investigation and review blamed the FAA for its "inadequate awareness" of the aircraft's anti-stall system MCAS, the failure of which appears to be the primary cause of both disasters. 

The report says the FAA had failed to accurately or fully assess the MCAS system that Boeing fitted to the jets to combat the design flaws on the latest generation of the hugely popular 737 model. The FAA also didn't assign enough specialists to review the software’s design. It also says that the FAA relies too heavily on manufacturers to self certify aircraft and avionics software is airworthy and fit for purpose.  "With adequate FAA engagement and oversight, the extent of delegation does not in itself compromise safety. - However, in the B737 MAX program, the FAA had inadequate awareness of the MCAS function which, coupled with limited involvement, resulted in an inability of the FAA to provide an independent assessment of the adequacy of the Boeing-proposed certification activities associated with MCAS." the report says.

The US manufacturer Boeing was also criticised in the report, stating that its employees conducting FAA work faced “undue pressure" which "attributed to conflicting priorities and an environment that does not support FAA requirements,"

In a statement to Reuters, FAA administrator Steve Dickson said he would review the JATR's recommendations and take appropriate action.

Whilst US airlines are already putting the 737 Max back into flight schedules from early January before any regulator has declared the type safe to fly again. Many other operators are waiting for a global consensus of regulatory approval before rescheduling the jets.  

Boeing's major program deliveries during the third quarter, including deliveries under an operating lease. 

Major Programs		3rd Quarter 2019			Year-to- Date 2019
Commercial Airplanes Programs
	737	5				118
	747	1				5
	767	10				32
	777	12				34	(1)
	787	35				113
Total		63				302
Defense, Space & Security Programs
	AH-64 Apache (New)	17				27
	AH-64 Apache (Remanufactured)	21				56
	C-17 Globemaster III	1				1
	C-40A	2				2
	CH-47 Chinook (New)	6				13
	CH-47 Chinook (Renewed)	7				16
	F-15 Models	2				7
	F/A-18 Models	6				16
	KC-46 Tanker	9				21
	P-8 Models	6				14
	Commercial and Civil Satellites	—				1
	Military Satellites	—				—

Recommended for you...