Quoted:
Same woman is standing at some of the NTSB media briefings.  Why have just one speaker when you have to fill the diversity bingo card.

https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/113152/IMG_4966_png-3095165.JPG

Quoted:


I think those are two different fat brown women.

Quoted:

He and Blanco are at least as good as a broken clock.

Probably a lot better than that, to be honest, whether you like the packaging or not.

Quoted:

I like Blanco. What’s wrong with him?

Quoted:

A subsidiary of the same company that builds the fuselage and installs the plug doors.  

Blancolirio's video mentions it and shows a jet that's in the process of having the wifi stuff installed and they are accessing the jet through the plug door opening. (Photo needs to be verified)

https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/367483/IMG_7240-3094964.jpg

Quoted:
That ladder and shelter is for putting the dome on the top of the aircraft.  You can see the 9 windows in the rear, then a gap, then the plugs window.

https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/164047/Screenshot_2024-01-17_181351_jpg-3097992.JPG

CRTL + drag image with globe view turned on (hover over "layers" bottom left, click "More" and make sure "Globe view" is selected).
https://www.google.com/maps/@35.4016055,-97.6021259,124m/data=

Quoted:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yKX0ydWYDzc

Thursday, December 28, 2023
The FAA is closely monitoring targeted inspections of Boeing 737 MAX airplanes to look for a possible loose bolt in the rudder control system

The company recommended the inspections after "an international operator discovered a bolt with a missing nut while performing routine maintenance on a mechanism in the rudder-control linkage," the Federal Aviation Administration said in a statement Thursday. "The company discovered an additional undelivered aircraft with a nut that was not properly tightened."

August 24, 2023
Boeing has found another significant manufacturing flaw in its 737 MAX aircraft and it's likely to throw a curveball at deliveries of its most popular aircraft. The company says fuselages from its largest contractor, Spirit AeroSystems, have random extra holes drilled in the rear pressurization bulkhead. The Air Current broke the story on Wednesday and said the issue may be widespread. Boeing inspectors reportedly found bulkheads with "hundreds" of misaligned and duplicated holes in the structure, some of which were filled with fasteners. They passed Spirit's quality control inspections.

Boeing 737
In February 2018, Spirit AeroSystems celebrated the delivery of the 10,000th Boeing 737 shipset   fuselage, pylon, wing leading edges, thrust reverser and engine nacelle. For more than 50 years, the Boeing 737 has been built in Wichita, Kansas. Today, Spirit makes approximately 70 percent of this narrow-body aircraft for Boeing.

Boeing P-8A Poseidon
In 2016, Spirit began production of the P-8A, a derivative of the Boeing 737. The program demonstrates Spirit AeroSystems' unique capability to build military-specific aircraft using decades of experience building the 737, making the P-8A more affordable and of the highest quality possible.

Boeing 747-8
Spirit builds the forward fuselage section of the famed Boeing 747 wide-body jumbo jet, along with its nacelles, struts and wing leading edge. The aircraft is now purchased and used primarily for cargo freight.

Boeing KC-46A
Aerial Refueling Tanker Aircraft
A military derivative of the Boeing 767, Spirit has manufactured the tanker's forward fuselage (Section 41), strut and nacelle components, and the fixed leading edge since 2013. Spirit assisted in the design of the next-generation tanker, which will replace the aging KC-135 Stratotanker fleet.

Boeing 767
Spirit builds the forward fuselage structure and other components for the Boeing 767. While the aircraft is no longer produced for commercial fleets, it's found success by being modified and repurposed as a cargo freighter. The 767-300F is considered a reliable workhorse for premier cargo airlines, including UPS and FedEx.

Boeing 777 and 777X
In late 2017, Spirit AeroSystems began production on Boeing's next-generation widebody airliner, the 777X, featuring fuel-efficient new engines from GE and a composite folding wing. Spirit provides the forward fuselage, nacelles and struts for both the 777 and 777X.

Boeing 787
Spirit AeroSystems delivers a fully integrated fuselage structure for the Boeing 787 Dreamliner. The composite forward fuselage (Section 41) and engine pylons are built in Wichita, Kansas, and the wing fixed leading edge and wing movable leading edge are built in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and Subang, Malaysia. Spirit has been delivering these assemblies and components on the 787 since 2007. In 2016, the 500th unit was delivered to Boeing.

Quoted:
Crazy

Scoop

The door plug that blew off  the @AlaskaAir MAX 9 was removed for repair then reinstalled improperly by Boeing mechanics at the Renton assembly plant

That leaves Boeing primarily at fault for the accident rather than its supplier Spirit AeroSystemshttps://t.co/UYK2fIzK5r

Dominic Gates  (@dominicgates) January 24, 2024

"FAA Halts Boeing MAX Production Expansion - Approves Inspection, Maintenance Process On All 171 Boeing 737-9 MAX Aircraft Allowing Them To Be Eligible To Return To Service."

Poor Boeing. $BA

ajoenamedjoe  (@ajoenamedjoe) January 24, 2024

Quoted:
Does Spirit manufacture anything that ends up in a military aircraft?

Quoted:
Does Spirit manufacture anything that ends up in a military aircraft?

Quoted:
Bottom line is that Alaska's 737 MAX left Boeing without the bolts.

Door doesn't come off clean if even one bolt is there

Door doesn't come off if all the bolts are loose

Bolts being tight have nothing to do with the design


But  all these things point to problems at Boeing.


Particularly this one . Where are the bolts?  And how can they be somewhere without causing alarm?

Quoted:

I think most of what comprises Spirit Aerostructures now was formerly Boeing Commercial Aircraft facilities. Seems like about 20yrs ago Boeing had a big push to externalize all the manufacturing, sold off a few of the plants. I remember them telling us the vision was to become "high level integrator". Product lines have probably expanded a bit but they are still primarily commercial parts (and commercial derivatives as noted above).

Quoted:



Ok, didn't know the springs are that strong. (are we sure?) So help me think this through.  If you're installing the door.  You're saying it won't stay in place without a pin.  But that could be anything while I'm getting the bolts... a screw driver, a pencil even.  Then I don't get the bolts and we fly off.... Or I could put a bolt in there without a nut and we fly off.  If the assist springs are that strong they are applying some pressure to that lone bolt.  It stays for a few months slowly working free...



Or maybe I put all four bolts in and no nuts, and over the two months they rattle out against the assist spring pressure.


What I'm having trouble buying is that four bolt are in with nuts.  Even not properly drilled and pinned I don't see them all coming out so quickly.  However, I can see this as likely from a mistake point of view.  I'm installing them, spin the nuts on by hand, darn, my Pittsburg ratchet is missing from my shift working on a 767 tanker,... off I go to look for it, shift over... I go home, bolts are only hand tight and the pins never installed... some point in this I or somebody closes out the paperwork.




Another clue is the cabin pressure warnings that plane was getting over time.



Assuming the door was leaking, can that happen with even a single bolt in place?  I don't think so.  I think there would need to be no bolts for the door to start moving enough to create a leak.

Quoted:

A lot of that is similar to what I wrote in the other thread.  See the last page.

https://www.ar15.com/forums/general/Alaska-Airlines-737-loses-a-door-in-flight-/5-2697871/&page=8&anc=107642154#i107642154

Quoted:
You can't determine what is hanging behind the plastic.  The part showing has two holes.

Boeing is reworking 50 undelivered 737 MAX jets after a supplier’s employee recently found misdrilled holes on some fuselages, a new production snafu for the aircraft manufacturer.

Spirit AeroSystems, which has been at the center of quality issues affecting 737s, supplied the fuselages.

Boeing said that the issue could delay some deliveries in the near term and that existing 737s can keep flying.

“This is the only course of action given our commitment to deliver perfect airplanes every time,” Boeing’s commercial chief Stan Deal said in a memo to staff on Sunday.

Boeing said it is finalizing instructions for the rework and expects to know how long it will take in coming days.

Deal said the employee flagged to his manager two holes that may not have been drilled exactly to the jet maker’s requirements. Delays will allow the company to inspect and, if necessary, fix any problems, he said.

A Spirit spokesman said the company is aware of the issue and is in close communication with Boeing. Last year, misdrilled holes by Spirit on the aft bulkhead of some MAX jets led to production delays.

Quoted:
Bottom line is that Alaska’s 737 MAX left Boeing without the bolts…

Particularly this one…. Where are the bolts?  And how can they be somewhere without causing alarm?

Records show the rivets were replaced per engineering requirements on Non-Conformance (NC) Order 145-8987-RSHK-1296-002NC completed on September 19, 2023, by Spirit AeroSystems personnel. Photo documentation obtained from Boeing shows evidence of the left-hand MED plug closed with no retention hardware (bolts) in the three visible locations (the aft upper guide track is covered with insulation and cannot be seen in the photo). See figure 16. This image was attached to a text message between Boeing team members on September 19, 2023, around 1839 local. These Boeing personnel were discussing interior restoration after the rivet rework was completed during second shift operations that day.

The investigation continues to determine what manufacturing documents were used to authorize the opening and closing of the left MED plug during the rivet rework.

Boeing announced Wednesday that the head of the company's 737 Max program is leaving the company in a management shake-up in the wake of a January mishap that has damaged the aircraft manufacturer's reputation and cost it billions of dollars in value.

Boeing Executive Vice President and CEO of Boeing Commercial Airplanes Stanley A. Deal announced several leadership changes in an email to employees Wednesday, including that Ed Clark, the head of the company's Boeing’s 737 Max program, has been replaced.

“Ed departs with my, and our, deepest gratitude for his many significant contributions over nearly 18 years of dedicated service to Boeing,” Deal said.