Washington, Feb 5: Boeing reported another problem with fuselages on its 737 jets that might delay deliveries of about 50 aircraft in the latest quality gaffe to plague the manufacturer.
Boeing Commercial Airplanes CEO Stan Deal said in a letter to Boeing staff seen Monday that a worker at its supplier discovered misdrilled holes in fuselages. Spirit AeroSystems, based in Wichita, Kansas, makes a large part of the fuselages on Boeing Max jets.
"While this potential condition is not an immediate safety issue and all 737s can continue operating safely, we currently believe we will have to perform rework on about 50 undelivered planes," Deal said in the letter to employees shared with the media.
The problem was discovered by an employee of the supplier of the fuselages who notified his manager that two holes might have not been drilled according to specifications, Deal said.
Both Boeing and Spirit AeroSystems are facing intense scrutiny over the quality of their work after an Alaska Airlines 737 Max 9 was forced to make an emergency landing on Jan 5 when a panel called a door plug blew out of the side of the plane shortly after takeoff from Portland, Oregon.
The NTSB is investigating the accident, while the Federal Aviation Administration investigates whether Boeing and its suppliers followed quality-control procedures.
Alaska Airlines and United Airlines, the only other US airline flying the Max 9, reported finding loose hardware in door plugs of other planes they inspected after the accident. The FAA grounded all Max 9s in the US the day after the blowout. Two weeks later, the agency approved the inspection and maintenance process to return the planes to flying.
Alaska Airlines and United Airlines have begun returning some to service.
Boeing, based in Renton, Washington, said last week it was withdrawing a request for a safety exemption needed to certify a new, smaller model of the 737 Max airliner. Boeing asked federal regulators late last year to allow delivery of its 737 Max 7 airliner to customers even though it does not meet a safety standard designed to prevent part of the engine housing from overheating and breaking off during flight.
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New Delhi (PTI): Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday paid homage to those killed in the Jallianwala Bagh massacre in 1919, and said their sacrifice stands as a powerful reminder of the indomitable spirit of the people of India.
Modi also said the saga of those killed in the massacre, their indomitable courage and self-respect against the barbarity of foreign rule will continue to inspire every generation of the nation.
"On this day, we pay our heartfelt homage to the brave martyrs of Jallianwala Bagh. Their sacrifice stands as a powerful reminder of the indomitable spirit of our people. The courage and determination they displayed continue to inspire generations to uphold the values of liberty, justice and dignity," Modi said in a post on X.
Hundreds of people protesting peacefully against the Rowlatt Act, which granted the
colonial administration repressive powers, were gunned down by British forces without any provocation on this day in 1919 at a garden in Amritsar.
While the official figure put the number of dead at 379, freedom movement leaders had claimed that several hundreds more died in the firing.
