Posted on 04/14/2023 7:51:09 AM PDT by BenLurkin
Boeing on Thursday warned it will likely have to reduce deliveries of its 737 Max airplane in the near term because of a problem with a part made by supplier Spirit AeroSystems .
Boeing said its supplier informed the company a “non-standard” manufacturing process was used on two fittings in aft fuselages. It said the issue affects certain 737 Max 8 planes, the company’s most popular model, with customers including American Airlines and Southwest Airlines . It also affects certain 737 Max 7, the 737 8200 and P-8 planes.
Boeing said the problem was not an “immediate safety of flight issue and the in-service fleet can continue operating safely.“
Boeing has notified the Federal Aviation Administration of the issue and is working to inspect and address the fuselages as needed, the company said. The FAA said Boeing notified it of the issue and also said there is no immediate safety issue.
However, the issue will likely affect a significant number of undelivered 737 Max airplanes, both in production and in storage,” the manufacturer said in a statement.
(Excerpt) Read more at cnbc.com ...
All for two fittings.
I doubt they are hydraulic line fittings. My guess is they are 3D printed metal parts.
Supply chain problems are pretty prevalent in the aircraft industry. It’s not just them either, we have been waiting for a new computer server at work for over 4 months and they can’t get them because of a computer chip shortage (allegedly). Same thing with American auto-makers.
My wife has been waiting on new carpet for a month.
You would find those fittings very important if they failed to keep the plane flying.
ANYTHING related to aircraft functioning is supposed to be documented as to how it was made, what grade of steel, etc, and thoroughly tested.
If a supplier cut corners in the manufacturing of a flight critical part, that is a VERY big deal.
“Boeing said its supplier informed the company a “non-standard” manufacturing process was used on two fittings in aft fuselages.”
They can’t even explain what they mean by that. We are supposed to just assume the part is therefore defective.
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