Boeing's CEO admitted that they made a mistake before the Alaska Airlines mid-flight blowout happened, which possibly contributed to the incident.
Dave Calhoun, the American aircraft manufacturer's chief executive officer and president, shared new details on Tuesday, Jan. 9. He said that he acknowledged a mistake made on their side.
The Boeing logo hangs on the corporate world headquarters building of Boeing November 28, 2006 in Chicago, Illinois. Orders for U.S. manufactured durable goods saw an 8.3 percent decrease in October. Aircraft orders dropped 45 percent for the same period.
He said that the error had been made before the Alaska Airlines' Boeing 737 Max 9 plane was forced to make an emergency landing at Oregon's Portland International Airport.
Boeing CEO Admits Mistake Before AS Mid-Flight Blowout Incident
Based on the statements that Boeing CEO Calhoun said on Tuesday, the issue mistake they made in their quality controls and processes.
This is because Stan Deal, CEO of Boeing, confirmed that they launched checks into their quality processes controls, as reported by The New York Post.
"We're going to approach this, number one, acknowledging our mistake. We're going to approach it with 100% and complete transparency every step of the way," said the CEO during their town hall meeting.
According to NBC News' latest report, Calhoun also said that Boeing promises to work with the National Transport Safety Board to find the root cause of the incident, meaning that they haven't identified what mainly caused the in-flight blowout.
The remarks shared by Dave and other top Boeing officials were the first public acknowledgment of errors made by the American aerospace firm ever since the door plug snapped off the 737 Max 9's fuselage on Friday, Jan. 5.
Read Also: Alaska Airlines, Federal Officials Ground Boeing 737 Max 9 Planes Following Mid-Air Section Blowout
Boeing Addressing Quality Control Errors
An Alaska Airlines Boeing 737 MAX 9 plane sits at a gate at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport on January 6, 2024 in Seattle, Washington. Alaska Airlines grounded its 737 MAX 9 planes after part of a fuselage blew off during a flight from Portland Oregon to Ontario, California.
In another meeting, the American aircraft manufacturer told its staff that the errors they found were quality control issues. Because of this, Boeing launched checks at its facilities, as well as those of its fuselage supplier Spirit AeroSystems.
Written orders were already sent to Boeing's plants and those of its suppliers to ensure such mistakes would be addressed. Boeing also promised to roll out broader checks of processes and systems.
Dave Calhoun said that the mid-flight blowout that Alaska Airlines experienced should never happen again.
"I got kids, I got grandkids and so do you. This stuff matters. Everything matters, every detail. I know I'm preaching to the choir here, this isn't a lecture, not by any stretch," said the Boeing CEO.
"It's nothing more than a reminder of the seriousness with which we have to approach our work," he added.
Related Article: Alaska Airlines Boeing 737 Max 9 Blowout Update: Over 170 Airplanes Now Suspended!
