Boeing announced Wednesday that it is shaking up its leadership of its commercial aircraft division following last month's tragic incident in which debris fell from a 737 Max 9 airliner mid-flight.
Ed Clark, head of Boeing's 737 Max program, which includes the Max 9, is retiring immediately, Commercial Airplanes Chief Executive Officer Stan Diehl said in a memo to employees. Boeing, which also announced other leadership changes, is under pressure from regulators, airlines and members of Congress to demonstrate its commitment to building safe planes.
Boeing announced in recent weeks that it was overhauling its quality-control processes, including ramping up inspections at the Renton, Washington, factory where Mr. Clark oversaw production of the Max. The management change is the company's most notable attempt to clarify its responsibility for the Jan. 5 accident that left an Alaska Airlines jet with a hole in its fuselage.
Clark took over the Max program in 2021 as production ramped up for the plane, which had been grounded worldwide for 20 months after two crashes that killed 346 people. These crashes cost Boeing billions of dollars, deeply tarnished the company's image, and drew intense scrutiny from regulators around the world.
Diehl announced Wednesday that Katie Ringgold, who was previously in charge of 737 delivery, will take over the Max program, while another executive, Elizabeth Land, will be appointed to a new position overseeing the quality of all of Boeing's commercial aircraft. announced that he would take on the role. Mike Fleming, who oversaw the Max's return to service after the crash, will replace Lund as head of the unit's aircraft program. Don Luman will replace Fleming as vice president of development programs.
Diehl said in the memo that the leadership changes will help Boeing “commit to ensuring that every aircraft we deliver meets or exceeds all quality and safety requirements.” He said he would contribute to “focusing on the future.” “Our customers demand and deserve more.”
Richard Aboulafia, managing director of aerospace consulting firm Aerodynamic Advisory, praised Boeing for promoting from within rather than bringing in an outsider to shake up leadership. But he warned that such changes have limits.
“I also recommend thinking about employees and supply chain companies as just a commodity, in other words, making sure they have the right resources,” he said. “Organizational change is limited in addressing fundamental issues.”
The Alaska Airlines incident occurred shortly after takeoff from Portland International Airport. At about 16,000 feet, a panel known as a door plug blew off the Max 9 jet, frightening passengers and forcing the pilot to return to Portland for an emergency landing. A plug is a barrier used to cover gaps in an airplane's fuselage that can optionally accommodate additional exit doors. The accident could have been even more catastrophic had the plane reached cruising altitude.
Almost immediately, the Federal Aviation Administration grounded all Max 9 jets in the United States. The agency later allowed the plane to fly after inspections, but said it would limit Boeing's plans to increase production of the Max until it was satisfied Boeing could show it had resolved the quality issues.
The National Transportation Safety Board released a preliminary report on the incident this month, saying two pairs of bolts that were part of the job of holding the plug in place at Boeing's Renton plant were removed and never replaced. It appears that this was not done. It remains unclear why such a mistake occurred, especially in a manufacturing setting where every aspect of the process is supposed to be documented and inspected.
The incident and its aftermath plunged Boeing into a safety crisis just five years after the Max crash. Part of that was caused by software added to the jet to automatically lower the nose in certain situations.
Although no one was seriously injured in the door plug incident, it raised new questions about the quality of Boeing's aircraft. In a rare show of dissatisfaction, the airline's chief executives publicly criticized Boeing in television appearances and earnings calls, urgently calling for the company to fix the problem.
After the Max crashes in 2018 and 2019, Boeing temporarily halted production of the Max, but then slowly restarted it and put it back into service at the end of 2020. The following year, Mr. Clark, a veteran engineer and mechanic, was placed in charge of the Max aircraft. program.
The coronavirus pandemic temporarily sharply reduced demand for air travel and passenger planes, forcing Boeing to cut costs and cut jobs. Travel has since rebounded strongly, leaving Boeing and European rival Airbus struggling to meet demand for planes.
Boeing's Max product has also been plagued by supply chain issues and supplier quality control issues. Two weeks ago, Boeing announced that its supplier, later identified as Spirit AeroSystems, which makes the 737 Max's fuselage, discovered a hole accidentally drilled in the fuselage of the Max plane. The company said the mistake did not pose an immediate safety risk, but the delivery of about 50 planes could be delayed as adjustments were made.
