This is one of two new inquiries involving Boeing aircraft, according to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).
The government was also involved when Boeing said it found what appeared to be fake documentation used to certify titanium in its planes.
At a time when Boeing’s safety record is under intense scrutiny, these issues have emerged.
Boeing sent questions regarding the Southwest flight to the airline, and the airline said it was helping with the investigation.
Boeing also said that shipments from a small number of vendors were part of the “industry-wide” titanium problem.
The results of the tests conducted so far supposedly indicate that the right alloy was used, even though the paperwork was wrong.
It claimed to have sourced the metal from a separate source, even though the business thought it had only affected a small number of components.
We are removing any impacted parts from airplanes before they are delivered so that we may stay in compliance with the requirements. The company claims, “Our analysis demonstrates that the fleet that is currently in service can continue to fly safely.”
The New York Times was the first to report on the subject, stating that a supplier to Spirit AeroSystems, a European aircraft maker and component producer for Boeing and Airbus, started investigating after finding corrosion-induced holes.
Spirit reported that the suspect components, which were taken out of production, had undergone over a thousand tests. The two manufacturers were notified of the issue earlier this year by Spirit.
A representative by the name of Joe Buccino stated that the titanium itself was not the fake item, but rather the paperwork. “The problem is we’ve lost traceability.”
Boeing issued a warning to its suppliers, telling them to be wary of counterfeit data, and the FAA said that the company was looking into the severity of the issue.
Separately, Canadian transportation safety officials have stated that they are working with international regulators to develop a unified plan to address the titanium problem. Additionally, they made it clear that they “will not hesitate to take action.”
Supposedly named after a Dutch ice skating technique, the so-called Dutch roll occurred on a flight from Phoenix, Arizona, to Oakland, California, on May 25.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) stated that no one on board was wounded, despite the plane sustaining “substantial” damage, even though it was able to regain control.
After the trip, the two-year-old plane was inspected and it was found that a device that provides backup power to the rudder had significant damage.
The 737 exhibits very benign characteristics, even though Dutch roll can be an annoying problem. Based on the observations of Tim Atkinson, a consultant and former UK accident investigator, “the amount of time that has passed since the incident and the absence of any airworthiness action on the fleet suggest that this is a one-off for Boeing and not another widespread problem.”
Aviation safety groups are worried about the quality of Boeing’s existing product line.
In January, there was an incident where a panel detached from an aircraft while it was in the air, reigniting concerns. As a result, Boeing was subject to stricter oversight and litigation.
There has been a holdup in the production of Boeing airplanes, and the business has presented a strategy to the FAA to address the problems.
