Head of Boeing breaks silence after plane door blown out in mid-air nightmare
Boeing 's CEO has called for an immediate company-wide meeting days after the harrowing incident where an airplane's fuselage was blown out mid-flight.
David Calhoun sent an email to all Boeing employees on Sunday, inviting them to a critical safety meeting scheduled for Tuesday, January 9, at the company's Renton, Washington factory.
More than 170 flights have been grounded after the bizarre event during Alaska Airlines Flight 1282, where a plane door was ripped out mid-air. The Boeing chief emphasized the gravity of the situation, stating, "When it comes to the safety of our products and services, every decision and every action matters."
In the email, Calhoun stressed the need for transparency and collaboration with customers and regulators in understanding and addressing the causes of the incident.
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Passengers sat near the damage on an Alaska Airlines Boeing 737 Max 9, Flight 1282 (AP)He expressed gratitude to colleagues working tirelessly on the company's response over the past two days. Calhoun acknowledged efforts to fortify quality control systems and safety management but highlighted the incident on Flight 1282 as a reminder of the need for improvement.
The aviation giant faces a crucial moment as it grapples with the aftermath of the mid-air incident, which is only the latest added to Boeing's headaches. Boeing 737, the series the airplane belongs to, has previously encountered two fatal crashes, regulatory scrutiny, and various technical problems.
The damaged part of an Alaska Airlines Boeing 737 Max 9, Flight 1282 (AP)
Southwest Airlines Boeing 737 MAX aircraft parked at Southern California Logistics Airport (Getty Images)For all the latest news, politics, sports, and showbiz from the USA, go to The Mirror US
More than a decade ago, Boeing considered designing and building an entirely new plane to replace the 737. But afraid of losing sales to European rival Airbus, which was marketing a more fuel-efficient version of its similarly sized A320, Boeing decided to take the shorter path of tweaking the 737 - and so the Boeing 737 Max was born.
A Max 8 jet operated by Lion Air crashed in Indonesia in 2018, and an Ethiopian Airlines Max 8 crashed in 2019. Regulators around the world grounded the planes for nearly two years while Boeing changed an automated flight control system implicated in the crashes.
Federal prosecutors and Congress questioned whether Boeing had cut corners in its rush to get the Max approved quickly, and with a minimum of training required for pilots. In 2021, Boeing settled a criminal investigation by agreeing to pay $2.5 billion, including a $244 million fine. The company blamed two relatively low-level employees for deceiving the Federal Aviation Administration about flaws in the flight-control system.
Boeing has estimated in financial reports that fallout from the two fatal crashes has cost it more than $20 billion. It has reached confidential settlements with most of the families of passengers who died in the crashes.
The tragedies of 2018 and 2019 that killed 346 people, as well as how Boeing handled them have been captured in the Netflix documentary Downfall: The Case Against Boeing. After a pause following the crashes, airlines resumed buying the Max. But the plane has been plagued by problems unrelated to Friday's blowout.
Questions about components from suppliers have held up deliveries at times. Last year, the FAA told pilots to limit use of an anti-ice system on the Max in dry conditions because of concern that inlets around the engines could overheat and break away, possibly striking the plane. And in December, Boeing told airlines to inspect the planes for a possible loose bolt in the rudder-control system.
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In another incident, a passenger on a Southwest Airlines jet was also killed in 2018 when a piece of engine housing blew off and shattered the window she was sitting next to. However, that incident involved an earlier version of the Boeing 737, not a Max.
The latest incident adds to Boeing's headaches (AFP via Getty Images)Calhoun also decided to cancel a leadership summit intended for all company vice presidents, originally scheduled for Monday and Tuesday of this week. The CEO redirected the focus towards the investigation of Flight 1282.
"In light of the Alaska Airlines Flight 1282 in-flight event, we are canceling the Summit to focus on our support to Alaska Airlines and the ongoing National Transportation Safety Board investigation, and any of our airline customers experiencing impact to their fleets," Calhoun said in a message to all Boeing vice presidents.
Calhoun's Sunday email to Boeing employees read:"Team,
As we work diligently with our regulators and support our customers following the Alaska Airlines Flight 1282 in-flight accident, I will hold a company-wide webcast focused on safety on Tuesday. Jan. 9, from Renton, joined by several members of our executive leadership team.
When it comes to the safety of our products and services, every decision and every action matters. And when serious accidents like this occur, it is critical for us to work transparently with our customers and regulators to understand and address the causes of the event, and to ensure they don't happen again. This is and must be the focus of our team right now. I am deeply grateful to our colleagues who have been working tirelessly on our company's response over the past two days.
We will spend time together Tuesday talking about our company's response to this accident, and reinforcing our focus on and our commitment to safety, quality, integrity and transparency. While we've made progress in strengthening our safety management and quality control systems and processes in the last few years, situations like this are a reminder that we must remain focused on continuing to improve every day.
Further details about the webcast will be shared with all employees on Monday via email and BNN.
Thank you, Dave"
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