Much troubled airliner

[Elmo T]

The Boeing hits just keep coming... literally. Ok, it wasn't a 737 Max, but it isn't a good look.

Tire falls off United flight departing SFO, crushing several vehicles in parking lot, company says (https://abc7news.com/flight-emergency-sfo-tire-falls-from-united-airlines-to-osaka-35/14500843/)


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-py_ujeNhaE

1236

[SteveH]

Another hit, pretty sure it isn't a Boeing issue though

United-operated Boeing 737 MAX rolls off Houston runway, says FAA (https://www.reuters.com/world/us/united-operated-boeing-737-rolls-off-houston-runway-passengers-deplaned-says-faa-2024-03-08/)

also this

On Monday, a United Boeing 737 bound for Florida departing Houston returned to the airport shortly after takeoff after the engine ingested some plastic bubble wrap that was on the airfield prior to departure, the airline said.

[SteveH]

DOJ opens criminal investigation into the Alaska Airlines 737 plane blowout, report says
https://apnews.com/article/boeing-ntsb-door-plug-emergency-landing-2d23408a25eff999579c88071836dbec

This will be interesting

[pfc_m_drake]

On the latest issues: Sounds like the 777 lost tire incident is likely a maintenance issue (not directly on Boeing). The 737-900 collapsed landing gear sounds like the pilots may have been taxiing too fast and tried to make a turn and maybe it didn't go so well. Stay tuned on both though.

[SteveH]

At Least 50 Injured On LATAM Airlines Boeing 787 After Technical Problem Causes Sudden Drop In Altitude
https://www.forbes.com/sites/siladityaray/2024/03/11/at-least-50-injured-on-latam-airlines-boeing-787-after-technical-problem-causes-sudden-drop-in-altitude/amp/

[SteveH]

Boeing whistleblower found dead in US
https://www.bbc.com/news/business-68534703.amp

https://x.com/collinrugg/status/1767311900411642119?s=46&t=FtBbY0VGTU6tkFPNjgS-pg

[SteveH]

Air New Zealand Halts 787-Operated Auckland-Chicago Flights
https://aviationa2z.com/index.php/2024/03/12/air-new-zealand-halts-787-chicago-flights/

Not specifically a Boeing issue but due to increased maintenance needed on the Rolls Royce Trent engines.

[SteveH]

Boeing is in big trouble
https://www.cnn.com/2024/03/12/investing/boeing-is-in-big-trouble/index.html

[SteveH]

United Airlines reports fifth flight incident in a week as jet turns back due to ‘maintenance issue’
https://www.cnn.com/2024/03/12/australia/australia-united-airlines-sydney-san-francisco-intl-hnk/index.html


The Boeing 777-300 aircraft, carrying 183 passengers and crew, was redirected due to a “maintenance issue,” according to a statement from United Airlines.

:saywhat:

[SteveH]

United chief asks Boeing to halt production of 737 Max 10 (https://seekingalpha.com/news/4078470-united-chief-asks-boeing-to-halt-production-of-737-max-10)


“We’ve asked Boeing to stop building Max 10s, which they’ve done, for us and start building Max 9s,” Scott Kirby, chief executive of United (UAL), said Tuesday at a J.P. Morgan investor conference. “It’s impossible to say when Max 10 is going to get certified.”

[nrc]

Obviously there is serious cause for concern over these issues. But I think we're entering into the realm of shark attack stories and some of these issues call into question airline maintenance and procedures as much as Boeing itself.

There's a real possibility that Boeing ends up being the scapegoat for a whole array of problems in the industry and how it has been reshaped over that past two decades. Not just manufacturers, but airlines and regulators as well.

[pfc_m_drake]

Boeing whistleblower found dead in US
https://www.bbc.com/news/business-68534703.amp

https://x.com/collinrugg/status/1767311900411642119?s=46&t=FtBbY0VGTU6tkFPNjgS-pg
I'm not at liberty to divulge how I know this, but my understanding is that this guy likely committed suicide and there was nothing nefarious behind this story. So it's a bad look but don't read anything into it.

[SteveH]

Yeah, its since been reported that he did commit suicide.

[nrc]

Unfortunately I doubt that some will be convinced.

[nrc]

Interesting article that I came across about the death of the American telecom industry that speaks to the Boeing situation. It is a pretty fair assessment of what happened to the American telecom industry and AT&T/Western Electric/Lucent in particular. There is a lesson that relates to Boeing and its current problems.


Today, without massive infusions of government subsidies, or transformative technological changes like the rise of software-defined networks, America will not be able regain competitiveness in this industry. Once these assets—including talent—are gone, they are virtually impossible to recover. But it is not too late to learn important lessons from this epic industrial failure and apply them to the advanced industries the United States still has left, including aerospace, biopharmaceuticals, and semiconductors. This will require an overthrow, however, of the prevailing Washington economic orthodoxy, which holds that the United States does not compete economically on a national level, and that no industry is more important than any other. It is time for a new national consensus, one that holds that some industries are too critical to fail and that government needs a robust national industrial strategy. Let us hope that it is not too late to learn these lessons, for it would be beyond tragic if in a decade or two someone has to write an article asking, “Who Lost Boeing, GM, Intel, and Pfizer?”

https://americanaffairsjournal.org/2020/08/who-lost-lucent-the-decline-of-americas-telecom-equipment-industry/

[SteveH]

FAA to take a closer look at United after a series of incidents
https://www.cnn.com/2024/03/22/business/faa-united-airlines-safety-incidents/index.html

Brings to question, what has United’s board done? Maybe nothing, so the FAA steps in?

[SteveH]

https://x.com/mcccanm/status/1771394858781131003?s=61&t=oFXcsN2wTfApq6UdUB40Qg :saywhat:

[SteveH]

Some nervous travelers are changing their flights to avoid Boeing airplanes
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/travelers-changing-flights-avoid-boeing-airplanes-rcna144158

[pfc_m_drake]

https://x.com/mcccanm/status/1771394858781131003?s=61&t=oFXcsN2wTfApq6UdUB40Qg :saywhat:

I seem to recall someone saying that Airbus wasn't without their own issues :D

Separately, not Boeing's issue but: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C4SIb_j9UGY
For the YouTube challenged - Boeing 737-800 engine failure on takeoff on Friday.

[SteveH]

Boeing CEO Dave Calhoun to step down
https://www.cnn.com/2024/03/25/business/boeing-ceo-calhoun-leaving/index.html

[pfc_m_drake]

Wow.

[SteveH]

Never was

https://i.redd.it/5w0d7jatfirc1.jpeg

[SteveH]

United asks pilots to take unpaid time off, citing Boeing’s delayed aircraft (https://www.cnbc.com/2024/04/01/united-asks-pilots-to-take-unpaid-time-off-citing-boeing-delays.html)


KEY POINTS

United is offering pilots unpaid time off in May and potentially through the summer, the pilots’ union said.
The airline’s pilots’ union cited delayed Boeing deliveries for the update.
United’s CEO is among airline leaders who have expressed frustration at Boeing, whose chief executive last week said he would step down.

[SteveH]

https://x.com/aviationbrk/status/1776177584453104076?s=20

[SteveH]

A whistleblower claims that Boeing’s 787 Dreamliner is flawed. The FAA is investigating (https://www.cnn.com/2024/04/09/business/boeing-787-whistleblower/index.html)


Whistleblower Sam Salehpour, a Boeing engineer, alleges that Boeing took shortcuts when manufacturing its 777 and 787 Dreamliner jets, and that the risks could become catastrophic as the airplanes age. The New York Times was first to report the whistleblower complaint.

[SteveH]

https://x.com/Rainmaker1973/status/1782382681541476376

[TravelGal]

https://x.com/Rainmaker1973/status/1782382681541476376

Ouch

[SteveH]

Whistleblower Josh Dean of Boeing supplier Spirit AeroSystems has died
https://www.seattletimes.com/business/whistleblower-josh-dean-of-boeing-supplier-spirit-aerosystems-has-died/

[pfc_m_drake]

Whistleblower Josh Dean of Boeing supplier Spirit AeroSystems has died
https://www.seattletimes.com/business/whistleblower-josh-dean-of-boeing-supplier-spirit-aerosystems-has-died/ Sounds like another case of things happen sometimes. Though I'm sure everyone at Spirit and Boeing will be nervous for a couple of days.