Boeing finds debris in 737 Max fuel tanks
CHARLES H. FEATHERSTONE | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 6 years, 6 months AGO
CHICAGO — Boeing announced Wednesday that it has discovered debris in the fuel tanks of several stored 737 Max aircraft.
“While conducting maintenance we discovered Foreign Object Debris (FOD) in undelivered 737 Max airplanes currently in storage. That finding led to a robust internal investigation and immediate corrective actions in our production system,” Boeing spokesman Peter Pedraza wrote in an email to the Columbia Basin Herald.
Pedraza did not elaborate on what the “foreign object debris” was or where the 737 Max aircraft with the tank debris were stored.
The company has parked over 250 of the planes, which were grounded in mid-2019 following two crashes linked to a software problem.
However, a portion of a memo from Mark Jenks, Boeing vice president and general manager of the company’s 737 program and chief of the company’s Renton site, provided to the Columbia Basin Herald by Boeing suggests the company views the problems as related to maintenance crews, as opposed to vandalism.
“During these challenging times, our customers and the flying public are counting on us to do our best work each and every day,” Jenks wrote. “That’s why we’re taking action after a range of Foreign Object Debris was recently found in the fuel tanks of several 737 MAX airplanes in storage.”
Jenks said Renton 737 Max maintenance crews have already had “a series of stand down meetings … to share a new process for stopping” foreign debris, and in the memo shares how those crews have dealt with the problem.
The company updated checklists and requirements for maintenance work done “in fuel cell areas,” added extra inspections and audits “in our tank closing process,” and added new signs in work areas reminding workers of the extra steps.
Foreign object debris in 737 Max fuel tanks “is absolutely unacceptable,” Jenks wrote.
In a press release from Jan. 21, Boeing said it expects the 737 Max to be able to start returning to service in mid-2020. American Airlines said in a Feb. 14 press release that it expects “the resumption of scheduled commercial service on American’s fleet of Boeing 737 Max aircraft will occur Aug. 18, 2020.”
“Safety remains our priority. No change to our estimated timeline for return to service,” Pedraza wrote.
Charles H. Featherstone can be reached at [email protected].
ARTICLES BY CHARLES H. FEATHERSTONE
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