The Federal Aviation Administration widened its probe into Boeing and will pay special attention to the work of a subcontractor used by the aerospace giant, officials said Wednesday.
Federal investigators want to know more about Spirit AeroSystems, a Wichita, Kansas, aerospace company that makes and installs plug doors for Boeing 737 Max 9 airplanes.
An Alaska Airlines flight was forced to make an emergency landing on Jan. 5 when a door plug fell off the fuselage midair after it had left Portland, Oregon.
That incident led the FAA to ground certain Boeing 737 Max 9 airplanes operated by U.S. airlines or in U.S. territory during the probe.
"After taking decisive action to ground 171 Boeing 737-9 MAX airplanes, the FAA is now investigating Boeing’s manufacturing practices and production lines, including those involving subcontractor Spirit AeroSystems, bolstering its oversight of Boeing, and examining potential system change," the FAA said in a statement Wednesday.
Spirit AeroSystems said it is cooperating with investigators.
“Spirit is supporting Boeing’s efforts with the FAA, and the affected airlines, as they inspect the 737-9 fleet and work to safely return those airplanes to service," company spokesperson Joe Buccino said in a statement.
Alaska Airlines has 65 Boeing 737 Max 9 airplanes, representing about 20% of its fleet, CEO Ben Minicucci said Wednesday.
The sudden shortage of craft is leading to 110 to 150 cancellations a day.
Minicucci apologized to customers for the ongoing difficulty.
"When you make plans, you put your trust in us, and we haven’t been able to deliver," he said in a video statement.
But he said Alaska Airlines will not rush any craft back into service.
"We will return these aircrafts to service only when all findings have been fully resolved and meet the stringent standards of Boeing, the FAA and Alaska Airlines," he added.
The FAA expanded its probe just days after it said it would increase oversight of Boeing production and manufacturing.
The FAA said Friday that it would audit Boeing’s 737 Max 9 production line and its suppliers “to evaluate Boeing’s compliance with its approved quality procedures.”
The results of the initial audit will determine whether additional audits are needed, the agency said.
Inspections of the first 40 of the 737 Max 9s have been completed, the FAA said Wednesday.
"The safety of the flying public, not speed, will determine the timeline for returning these aircraft to service," the agency said.
The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating the incident aboard Alaska Airlines Flight 1282, which had been set to fly from Portland to Ontario International Airport, which is about 40 miles east of downtown Los Angeles.
The detached door plug landed in the backyard of an Oregon high school teacher and is now in the hands of investigators.
