In other words, he leans toward processes being the issue, not the design of the plane. This, however, raises concerns about how aircraft safety checks are carried out.
In theory, in the United States, the FAA verifies the airworthiness of planes and grants them certification allowing them to fly safely. Aircraft designs are studied and reviewed on paper, with ground and flight testing taking place on the finished aircraft as well as an assessment of the maintenance routine required to keep an aircraft airworthy.
In practice, these exams are often delegated to third-party organizations designated to grant certification. Planes can fly without the FAA directly inspecting them. “You won’t find an FAA inspector in a suit walking a production line in Renton,” says Tim Atkinson, a former pilot and plane crash investigator and current aviation consultant, referring to the 737 factory. of Boeing based in Washington State.
The FAA relies on third parties because it is already overburdened and must focus on new safety-critical technologies that advance the latest innovations in flight. “It can’t [check all aircraft itself]because you produce 30 to 60 planes per month and one plane contains 4 million parts,” Fehrm explains.
“Designated reviewers have always been part of the landscape,” Mann says, but he believes the latest series of events adds to existing questions about whether this approach is the right one. On the other hand, there are currently no practical alternatives, he says.
The Alaska Airlines plane involved in the incident received a certificate of airworthiness on October 25, 2023, and a seven-year certificate from the FAA on November 2. FAA records do not indicate who granted the certificate on behalf of the FAA, and the administration declined to identify the organization or individual that approved the aircraft’s airworthiness. The plane’s first flight took place in early November.
With this being the third major potentially fatal incident for Boeing in just over five years – all involving a single type of aircraft – the company’s status has taken a hit.
There was an old saying among pilots, Atkinson said: “If it’s not Boeing, I’m not going.” » He believes that reputation has declined with the 737 Max problems, and with them, Boeing’s value. Its share price fell 8 percent on January 8, the first day of trading after the incident. Citi analyst Jason Gursky estimates that delays resulting from the FAA grounding of these 171 planes will cost Boeing $2.3 million for each day the problem lasts.
