"Spirit AeroSystems — the Boeing contractor that builds the 737 Max 9
fuselage — says it is now part of the NTSB investigation."

Of course, Boeing shoulders the ultimate responsibility for their products,
however, given the fact that Spirit AeroSystems built the 737 Max 9
fuselage, the allegation that Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DEI) was
responsible for the less than professional workmanship that lead to these
incidents, is not supported by the facts. We won't know where the true
blame lies until the NTSB investigation is concluded.

That said, Spirit AeroSystems web site
https://www.spiritaero.com/company/diversity-equity-inclusion/overview/
does state:

Spirit AeroSystems’ Commitment to Global Diversity, Equity and Inclusion

Spirit AeroSystems is committed to creating a world class company — one
that is actively working to build an inclusive culture, where all
employees diverse skills and talents are valued.

Spirit values the full range of differences, perspectives and abilities
that our employees bring to the workplace. We strive to create an
environment where all employees feel welcomed and a sense of belonging.

Cultivating a culture of diversity, equity and inclusion directly aligns
with our values and is a key enabler to achieving our overall business
strategy to enhance performance.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------
https://www.cnn.com/2024/01/10/business/boeing-737-max-crisis/index.html

Boeing CEO: We’ll make sure another Alaska Airlines incident never happens
again

By Ramishah Maruf, CNN

Updated 3:07 PM EST, Wed January 10, 2024

Passenger oxygen masks hang from the roof next to a missing window and a
portion of a side wall of an Alaska Airlines Flight 1282, which had been
bound for Ontario, California and suffered depressurization soon after
departing, in Portland, Oregon, U.S., January 5, 2024 in this picture
obtained from social media.

Passenger oxygen masks hang from the roof next to a missing window and a
portion of a side wall of an Alaska Airlines Flight 1282, which had been
bound for Ontario, California and suffered depressurization soon after
departing, in Portland, Oregon, U.S., January 5, 2024 in this picture
obtained from social media.
@strawberrvy/Instagram via Reuters
New York
CNN
—

On Friday, an Alaska Airlines flight carrying 177 people made an emergency
landing shortly following takeoff from Portland, Oregon, after part of the
wall of a new 737 Max 9 aircraft detached mid-flight and left a gaping hole
in the side of the plane.

Remarkably, no one was killed or seriously injured in the incident, though
clips of the harrowing accident quickly went viral.

Here is the latest on what to know as Boeing faces yet another 737 Max
crisis.

Boeing CEO Dave Calhoun acknowledges ‘quality escape,’ but defends company’s
‘proven design’
During a new interview with CNBC on Wednesday afternoon, Boeing CEO Dave
Calhoun said he was “devastated” and “emotional” after seeing video from the
Alaska Airlines midflight blowout last Friday.

When asked what exactly happened, Calhoun told CNBC, “What happened is
exactly what you saw, a fuselage plug blew out. That’s the mistake, it can
never happen.”

Investigation involving Alaska Airlines Flight 1282 on a Boeing 737-9 MAX in
Portland, Oregon.
Boeing CEO acknowledges ‘mistake’ related to terrifying Alaska Airlines
flight
But Calhoun emphasized that he is “confident” in the FAA’s ongoing work to
“inspect each and every one of the airplanes” and make “certain that they’re
in conformance with our design, which is a proven design.”

“I’m confident that that process will not only prevent an accident, but
maybe more importantly, the data we collect from each and every one of those
inspections, the data we collect will inform all of the actions that we have
to take as a company,” Calhoun said.

Still, Calhoun acknowledged that a “quality escape occurred” at some point
that allowed the plane to fly in the first place, and said he looks forward
to sharing more details about this after the investigation concludes.

Meanwhile, as scrutiny is increasingly placed on aviation supplier Spirit
Aerosystems, Calhoun told CNBC that he is confident in their CEO Patrick
Shanahan. “We’re not going to point fingers there. Because yes, it escaped
their factory, but then it escaped ours too,” he said. “So we’re all in this
together. We have to figure this one out.”

“This one is a horrible escape,” Calhoun said. “We’ll make sure that we take
steps to ensure that it never, never can happen.”

The 737 Max 9 remains grounded
On Saturday, the Federal Aviation Administration ordered most Boeing 737 Max
9 aircraft to be temporarily grounded as regulators and Boeing investigate
the cause of the incident. The order applies to some 171 planes.

That has led to hundreds of cancelations, particularly from Alaska Airlines
and United Airlines, which have dozens of the 737 Max 9 planes.

Alaska Airlines acknowledged Wednesday the Boeing 737 Max 9 will not fly for
at least several more days, extending its cancelations for flights scheduled
on that plane through Saturday. United Airlines said it is canceling 167
Boeing 737 Max 9 flights today and expects significant cancellations on
Thursday, too.

“We regret the significant disruption that has been caused for our guests by
cancellations due to these aircraft being out of service,” Alaska Airlines
said in a statement. “We are working around the clock to reaccommodate
impacted guests on other flights.”

The top safety inspector probing the Boeing 737 Max 9 blowout warned
regulators Wednesday about hastily allowing the plane model to fly again.
Jennifer Homendy, chairwoman of the National Transportation Safety Board,
told CNN’s Poppy Harlow on “CNN This Morning” Wednesday that the FAA and
Boeing “really need that information about how that occurred before they can
take actions to unground the planes.”

“I would recommend that they not put those back in service until they
absolutely know how this occurred,” said Homendy. “That will tell them what
inspections need to take place and what repairs need to take place.”

Meanwhile, Spirit AeroSystems — the Boeing contractor that builds the 737
Max 9 fuselage — says it is now part of the NTSB investigation.

Outside of the airline industry, the accident has caught the attention of
lawmakers. In a statement on Tuesday, Republican Sen. J.D. Vance of Ohio
called for the Senate Commerce Committee to convene a hearing to “evaluate
incidents involving the 737 Max, Boeing’s engineering and safety standards,
and the quality of oversight provided by the FAA and other relevant
government agencies.”

President Joe Biden is monitoring the issue, the White House said Tuesday.

Boeing has faced years of problems
National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) Investigator-in-Charge John
Lovell examines the fuselage plug area of Alaska Airlines Flight 1282 Boeing
737-9 MAX, which was forced to make an emergency landing with a gap in the
fuselage, in Portland, Oregon, U.S. January 7, 2024. NTSB/Handout via
REUTERS.
THIS IMAGE HAS BEEN SUPPLIED BY A THIRD PARTY
National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) Investigator-in-Charge John
Lovell examines the fuselage plug area of Alaska Airlines Flight 1282 Boeing
737-9 MAX, which was forced to make an emergency landing with a gap in the
fuselage, in Portland, Oregon, U.S. January 7, 2024.
NTSB/Handout/Reuters
For five years, Boeing has faced repeated quality and safety issues with its
aircraft, leading to the long-term grounding of some jets and the halt in
deliveries of others.

The 737 Max’s design was found to be responsible for two fatal crashes: one
in Indonesia in October 2018 and the other in Ethiopia in March 2019.
Together, the two crashes killed all 346 people aboard the two flights and
led to a 20-month grounding of the company’s best-selling jets, which cost
it more than $21 billion.

Internal communications released during the 737 Max grounding showed one
employee describing the jet as “designed by clowns, who in turn are
supervised by monkeys.”

Late last month, Boeing asked airlines to inspect all of their 737 Max jets
for a potential loose bolt in the rudder system after an airline discovered
a potential problem with a key part on two aircraft.

Its quality and engineering problems have extended beyond the 737. Boeing
also had to twice halt deliveries of its 787 Dreamliner, for about a year
starting in 2021 and again in 2023, due to quality concerns cited by the
FAA. And the 777 jet also suffered a grounding after an engine failure on a
United flight scattered engine debris onto homes and the ground below.

Boeing’s CEO has acknowledged its mistake
Investigation involving Alaska Airlines Flight 1282 on a Boeing 737-9 MAX in
Portland, Oregon.
Investigation involving Alaska Airlines Flight 1282 on a Boeing 737-9 MAX in
Portland, Oregon.
National Transportation Safety Board
CEO David Calhoun acknowledged the company’s “mistake” related to the Alaska
Airlines incident at a staff-wide “safety meeting” Tuesday.

“We’re going to approach this number one acknowledging our mistake,” Calhoun
told staff, according to a partial readout of the meeting shared with CNN.
“We’re going to approach it with 100% and complete transparency every step
of the way. We are going to work with the NTSB [National Transportation
Safety Board] who is investigating the accident itself to find out what the
cause is.”

A company source previously told CNN that Boeing believes “the mistake in
question” was introduced in the aircraft’s manufacturing supply chain,
however it is not immediately clear if Calhoun identified any specific error
during the presentation.

Now investigators want to know more.

“I have a lot of questions on that statement,” Homendy told CNN Wednesday.
“He stated that mistakes were made, and I’d like to understand what mistakes
he is referring to.” She said she has not yet spoken to Calhoun.

Calhoun appeared to address some of the images that emerged from the
accident during his remarks to employees Tuesday, including some that showed
a gaping hole in the side of the plane.

“When I got that picture, all I could think about – I didn’t know what
happened so whoever was supposed to be in the seat next to that hole in the
airplane,” Calhoun said. “I’ve got kids, I’ve got grandkids and so do you.
This stuff matters. Every detail matters.”

Of the ongoing investigation, Calhoun added that he “trust[s] every step
they take, and they will get to a conclusion.”

Boeing still had a great 2023
Despite its problems, Boeing capped its best year since the 737 Max
grounding in 2019, reporting record new plane orders in December and one of
its best years for sales ever.

The American plane maker reported 1,456 gross orders for the year, which was
one of its best years ever. Adjusted for canceled orders, the annual total
came to 1,314 commercial aircraft, its third best year on record by that
measure and its best total since 2014.

Much of its success is due to the fact that Boeing and Airbus are the only
two major global aviation companies. That means Boeing probably doesn’t have
to worry about being forced out of business, no matter how extensive its
mistakes. Neither company could accommodate all commercial aircraft demand,
and both have a backlog of orders stretching back years.

But the problems have meant that Boeing continues to fall further behind
Airbus.

What’s been found so far
National Transportation Safety Board officials retrieve the missing door
plug from Alaska Airlines flight 1282, the Boeing 737 MAX 9 that experienced
a rapid decompression on Friday over Portland, Oregon. NTSB handout images
National Transportation Safety Board officials retrieve the missing door
plug from Alaska Airlines flight 1282, the Boeing 737 MAX 9 that experienced
a rapid decompression on Friday over Portland, Oregon. NTSB handout images
NTSB
A preliminary report is expected in three to four weeks, NTSB spokesperson
Eric Weiss said.

On Monday night, NTSB said it’s continuing to recover items sucked out from
the plane. On Sunday, a Portland schoolteacher found a piece of the
aircraft’s fuselage that had landed in his backyard and reached out to the
agency. Two cell phones that were likely flung from the hole in the plane
were also found in a yard and on the side of the road and turned over to
investigators.

Early details are still shocking. The damage extended to several rows on the
plane. The two seats next to the detached door plug just happened to be
empty when the blowout happened, but had their headrests torn off, according
to NTSB Chair Jennifer Homendy.

On Monday, United Airlines — which has more Max 9s than any other US carrier
— said it found loose door plug bolts on an undisclosed number of its Boeing
737 Max 9 aircraft as it was performing the FAA-mandated inspections of the
jets.

Alaska Airlines also said Monday it found loose hardware on some of its 737
Max 9 planes during inspections.

– CNN’s Catherine Thorbecke, Chris Isidore, Greg Wallace and Pete Muntean
contributed to this report.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------

On Sat, 13 Jan 2024 07:10:19 +0100 (CET), "Go Woke & Broke"
<fuck-you@boeing.com> wrote:

>Elon Musk is dead right: Boeing’s insane commitment to DEI could literally
>kill people.
>
>“People will die due to DEI,” he thundered on X.
>
>The tech titan was slamming the aeronautics firm after one of its planes
>blew a fuselage panel out in midair, with a tragic disaster only narrowly
>averted.
>
>Specifically, he pointed out that Boeing in 2022 began rewarding execs
>financially for hitting climate and Diversity, Equity & Inclusion targets
>— shifting sole focus away from safety and quality, where it had been
>before.
>
>“Do you want to fly in an airplane where they prioritized DEI hiring over
>your safety?” Musk asked.
>
>And he’s not even exaggerating.
>
>Per a 2023 report from Boeing, “Our goal was to achieve diverse interview
>slates for at least 90% of manager and executive openings” — with an
>actual “92% of interview slates being diverse, resulting in 47% diverse
>hires.”
>
>Yep: People responsible for making sure your plane doesn’t crash are now
>officially less concerned about getting the best person for the job than
>checking various woke corporate identity boxes.
>
>Such thinking is bad enough when financial firms do it under the guise of
>ESG, “environmental, social and governance” rules for investing.
>
>But when that goes badly, investors merely take a loss.
>
>With Boeing — as we may have just seen in the Alaska Airlines near-
>disaster — the results are much worse and more concrete.
>
>Indeed, the same insanity is afoot in US medicine.
>
>Notably, med school curricula have been wokified and academic standards
>lowered in order to push fake “equity.”
>
>Enough is enough. Boeing and every other firm whose product or service
>means the difference between life and death need to get back to basics and
>give up on the whole ugly DEI charade.
>
>https://nypost.com/2024/01/12/opinion/alaska-airlines-shows-elon-musk-is-
>right-boeing-dei-could-kill-people/