FAA will have ‘boots on the ground’ at Boeing 737 MAX factory until quality control deemed appropriate: report

The head of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is vowing that the agency will have “boots on the ground” at Boeing’s 737 MAX factory until it feels “comfortable” that its quality control system is working. 

The statements from administrator Mike Whitaker come as 737-9 MAX planes remain grounded by the FAA in the wake of a Jan. 5 incident in which one of the aircraft operated by Alaska Airlines lost a passenger door plug while in flight. The FAA has since announced an “audit involving the Boeing 737-9 MAX production line and its suppliers to evaluate Boeing’s compliance with its approved quality procedures.” 

“We’ve got a lot of inspectors on the ground, visually inspecting the aircraft as it comes through,” Whitaker told CNBC on Tuesday. “We’re shifting from more of an audit approach to a direct inspection approach.” 

“Until we’re comfortable that the [quality control] system is working properly… we’re going to have boots on the ground,” he reportedly added. 

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Whitaker also said the FAA has sent a “couple of dozen” inspectors to look over the planes and that the inspections have “been longer” than the estimated four to eight hours per aircraft. 

“We’ve required a lot of measurements,” Whitaker told CNBC. “Once the area’s exposed, we want to understand bolt tensions and gaps and things of that nature. So we’ve required more data than would normally be the case because we really wanted to understand the issue.” 

Meanwhile, Boeing CEO Dave Calhoun is reportedly planning to meet with a group of senators on Capitol Hill this week.  

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Alaska Airlines CEO Ben Minicucci also has vented his frustration at Boeing following the Jan. 5 incident. 

“I’m angry. I’m more than frustrated and disappointed. I am angry,” he recently told “NBC Nightly News.” “This happened to Alaska Airlines. It happened to our guests and happened to our people.” 

The Alaska Airlines CEO said the airline found loose bolts on many of the 737 MAX 9 jets it inspected in its fleet. 

“And — my demand on Boeing is what are they going to do to improve their quality programs in-house,” he added. 

Fox Business’ Sarah Rumpf-Whitten contributed to this report.