Boeing's 737 Max Program Head 'Leaving' Company After Alaska Airlines' Door Plug Blowout

Aerospace giant Boeing announced the departure of Ed Clark, the head of its 737 Max program, as confirmed by Stan Deal, the CEO of the company's commercial airplanes unit, in a memo to employees on Wednesday.

Clark, who oversaw 737 production for nearly 18 years, is "leaving the company," Deal wrote in the memo. The move comes in the wake of the midair door blowout incident on an Alaska Airlines flight last month, which raised fresh concerns about the safety and quality control measures within the company.

New Leadership at Boeing's 737 Max Program

(Photo : Scott Olson/Getty Images)

Katie Ringgold, former vice president of 737 delivery operations, has been appointed as Clark's replacement, effective immediately.

Ringgold will also take over as the manager of Boeing's production facility in Renton, Washington, where the final assembly of 737 MAX airliners takes place.

The decision to replace Clark comes after an alarming incident on January 5, when a portion of a Boeing 737 Max aircraft's door blew out mid-flight during an Alaska Airlines flight from Portland, Oregon, to Ontario, California.

An investigation by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) found that missing bolts, which were supposed to secure the door plug, were to blame for the incident.

The FAA subsequently grounded all Boeing 737 Max 9 planes temporarily for inspections, although nobody was seriously injured in the incident.

The investigation revealed loose hardware on other aircraft as well, prompting concerns about the overall quality control standards within Boeing.

The NTSB's preliminary findings suggested that quality control issues were behind the door plug blowout. The missing bolts, which should have prevented upward movement of the door plug, pointed to lapses in Boeing's manufacturing processes.

Clark's departure is part of a broader leadership overhaul at Boeing. In addition to his replacement, Elizabeth Lund, the former senior vice president of airplane programs, will now lead the company's quality control and quality assurance efforts in a new role.

Boeing's Issues Beyond Previous Midair Blowout

Boeing has been under increasing scrutiny in recent weeks, not only due to the door plug blowout incident but also because of other manufacturing issues.

Spirit AeroSystems, one of Boeing's suppliers, notified the company of additional manufacturing problems in some 50 undelivered 737 Max 9 planes. These issues, including incorrectly drilled holes on fuselages, are expected to cause further delays in aircraft deliveries.

Despite the challenges, all Boeing 737 Max 9s have returned to service after undergoing extensive inspections mandated by the FAA.

Jennifer Homendy, the chair of the NTSB, expressed confidence in the safety of the aircraft but emphasized the need for systemic changes in the industry's regulatory framework.

Homendy agreed with FAA Administrator Michael Whitaker's assessment that the current system, which relies heavily on aircraft manufacturers for self-regulation, is inadequate.

"The current system is not working 'cause it's not delivering safe aircraft," Whitaker said Tuesday in a testimony before Congress. "So we have to make some changes to that."

Homendy stressed the importance of addressing quality control problems beyond the specific incident involving Alaska Airlines, echoing concerns about the broader safety implications for the aviation industry.

"I absolutely agree that it needs to change," remarked Homendy in an interview with CNN, further elaborating that the issue extends beyond Alaska Airlines' fuselage blowout last month and is primarily "a quality control problem."