Continuing on from our recent coverage of foreign objects being discovered in the fuel tanks of multiple 737 MAX aircraft, it is now being reported that a much higher number of aircraft may be contaminated.
According to familiar sources in contact with Reuters, over 50 percent of undelivered 737 MAX aircraft are said to contain foreign objects; including rags, tools, production equipment and more.
A company spokesperson confirmed to media on Friday that 35 aircraft were found to contain foreign objects, however it is currently unknown what the confirmed amount is up to as of Sunday the 23rd of February.
Around 400 737 MAX jets are grounded around the world and are patiently awaiting certification from aviation regulators, including the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), which is facing its own criticism for their initial work certifying the aircraft.
We have contacted Boeing about foreign object debris in the 737 MAX and we will update this article, if a response if provided.
The FAA is unaware of how many aircraft are affected but confirms that Boeing has launched voluntary inspections of the 737 MAX, to eliminate any foreign object debris. Additionally, the FAA has increased surveillance based on initial inspection reports and plans to take any required action based on the findings.
Already known for foreign object identification in the 767-based KC-46 tanker, and the 787 Dreamliner, Boeing released a memo to employees stating that the discovery of foreign objects in aircraft is “unacceptable and won’t be tolerated on any Boeing aircraft when it’s delivered to the customer”.
At this time it remains unknown if this development in the 737 MAX crisis will delay certification and re-entry into service.
This article will be updated as more information becomes available.
The notion that Boeing’s problems with the 737Max are the result of union workers sabotage is so much faux news. This would be the same union that builds the 777 and 747, am I right? No, the problem is that design/engineer/build has been overtaken by short term shareholder return. At the senior management levels the performance metric is share value, not build quality. Until incentives are changed the problems plaguing the 737Max will remain.
Boeing is a professional company with a formerly very good reputation.It is unfortunate that the 737Max was designed but not properly checked by competent people before it was put into production.It is obviously a flawed design, and to try and Mickey Mouse the mistakes to try and protect the bottom line regardless of the danger that this aircraft presents to the flying public is unacceptable.They should bite the bullet for their mistakes and either write these aircraft off or use whatever they can from them and rework them into the former 737 design- which has a wonderful safety record and is a winning design that is well-proven.It is going to cost Boeing a lot of money whichever way they go but the best choice must be made if they are to regain their reputation.The management who allowed the 737Max design to be put into production should all be fired.
“…should be fired.” Fired???? Maybe like in a kiln? THAT would be appropriate! Every dime they got or are supposed to get from BA should be clawed back. They should be paupers – and be allowed to live, I guess…..but for them to be multi-millionaires living in luxury while the company THEY led is left in tatters is UNACCEPTABLE ! They were either incompetent – and should end up paupers….or they were criminal, and should end up paupers, at the very best. For them to be living the life of luxury for their remaining lives is a travesty of justice….
I agree that the fuel tank debris is a separate issue , but I’m not so sure that the Max is permanently grounded or should be. If you look back at the introduction of the 727 you will find a similar scenario where several back to back crashes called into question the design of what was considered new technology. I understand that there is a completely different set of circumstances surrounding the Max but In tryin to keep costs down for customers Boing sold it as basically an improved 737 that didn’t require simulator training if flight crews we’re currently certified on the previous versions of the 737..that obviously wasn’t the case. I think that once they get the software fixes in place and require the proper sim training it will return to service. Whether or not the public is convinced is going be the next hurdle.
You just fail to get it. Its nothing like the 727. The 737 Max remains, – even after the tweaks Boeing has implemented since the 2 fatal crashes,- an extremely dangerous aircraft. Its not that MCAS is unfixable, its just that no computerised response can correct what is actually a fatally flawed design. Stop your ninny yapping about “new technology”, the Max airframe is a standard Boeing 737 airframe unchanged since 1978! It cannot take the new Leap engines and trying to overcome this massive flaw with an autopilot tweak is an example of just how ignorant and greed-driven the excrement on 2 legs managing Boeing actually are. The RTS narrative has arisen as a deliberate and cold-blooded ploy to keep the share price marketised. The danger is that too many people like you will believe their lies and the FAA will follow the herd as usual and recertify the Max.
Will you STOP THE RTS NARRATIVE! Its a lie! The Max will never return to service. Its inherently unstable under certain power settings as a result of its botched and incompetent design. The FAA cannot approve the MCAS software because it remains dangerously insufficient as a compensator for the power settings required in emergencies and at take-off, which cause the aircraft to nose up and stall unless the pilots respond early enough. The adjustments to the MCAS that have been made since the last crash remain dangerous; they do not restore sufficient control to the pilots and continue to make overly large nose-down inputs via the auto trim. If you want to write a decent article reflecting the underlying truth about the dangers of promoting the RTS narrative – mainly another 150 to 200 deaths in the next CRASH – then you need to get down to some careful research and old fashioned quoting of relevant information. At the moment you are just another Boeing parrot ninny writing yet another RTS based narrative. Its like you just don’t get it and I suspect you CHOOSE to misunderstand. The fuel tank debris issue is irrelevant. The Max 8 must be scrapped if another tragedy is to be avoided.
The Boeing managers that allowed this to happen should have ALL their bonuses clawed back, and any that ‘retired’ with a bonus also clawed back, and for good measure and to show how serious a problem this is, should also have theirs nuts removed…….
This is absolutely UNACCEPTABLE. Whoever’s name is on the final inspection should be fired immediately……and all those things listed above happen to them, too.
I’m a 737 Flyer for the last 28 years, and THIS is beyond the pale.
I do not get all this soft comments. All comments are like old ladies having a 5 o’clock tea with stupid arguments. REALITY: These Boing people -from CEO all the way down- are killers, and they do not care. Aircrafts are still there to see if they can be put back in the market. I do respect much more an assassin in a street, b because they kill time to time, these crooks they kill by hundreds. All those people should be in death row. It is very simple indeed: You kill somebody, you should have death penalty. So all these soft feminine comments means nothing at all. BE MEN. Have your balls in your site. Face it and do not come with this crap “politically correct” comments. Politically correct means nothing but hypocrisy. Stop the BS.Stop it.
It’s easy to blame unions and bad attitudes for an inferior product and poor production process. Every major installation requires an inspection authorization prior to close of the job with a signature and a stamp of approval. Often times management is under pressure to maintain production quotas and put pressure on inspectors to complete tasks. Boeing upper management is to blame for the mess they created, problems of this magnitude don’t start at the bottom.
Very true, I’m in agreement; however, one would think those skilled, trained, and well-paid Boeing employees would take PRIDE in their workmanship and be mindful and extremely cognizant of safety ramifications of any sub-par or inattentive workmanship. In short everyone is culpable and responsible–from the top down! There needs to be a total culture shift from everyone…when you’re building an airplane you’d better be damn sure of your work–everyone’s workmanship! No excuses whatsoever!
Isn’t the American air force complaining about debris left in the new Boeing Tankers.
Boeing seems to benevolently paving the way for Chinese and Russian planes to take there place – note Zuma’s, oh sorry Trump’s reliance on Putin to win his elections.
It seems like it’s clear mechanics union worker sabotage, unless we just assume they’re just really clumsy and inept. There’s the unrest with contract workers making higher wages. They narrowly approved the last contact and are building the strike fund for 2024.
Of course by then there may be a lot less Boeing jobs to go around. Especially if things keep going the way they are, I don’t see how people think they can hurt their companies without eventually hurting themselves.
Hi. Normally in the aircraft industry, all finished assembly processes are contrasigned by a responsible manager, so your suspicions, should not go on the workers union, but on on the incompetent managers.
Hans DK
Boeing may have the ultimate winning combination, a dissatisfied labor force plus incompetent managers.
I also suspect sabotage!!!
I am incredulous to find the excuse of: workers are not responsible for their own bad actions. The managers who failed to catch them are responsible.
Oh boy, I wish I could have a union job where I’m paid but not responsible.
“…won’t be tolerated..?.” this Boeing internal email should have NEVER been necessary in the first place! I’m more confident in my auto mechanic’s ability and performance! What’s the next option for the MAX– similar fate of the DC-10? I think the boneyard still has plenty of PERMANENT space. This leaves me wondering just what shade of BLOOD red lipstick Boeing might select for this newly minted “pig”.