Boeing Commercial Aeroplanes (BCA) CEO Stan Deal reportedly reorganised the organization’s leadership team at the Commercial Aeroplanes division, as stated in a memo to employees that was initially published by the Seattle Times on Wednesday.
According to a company memo, the head of Boeing’s troubled 737 MAX programme has resigned in the wake of scrutiny regarding safety and production protocols and an aircraft that experienced a midair blowout last month.
The memo stated that Ed Clark, an 18-year veteran of Boeing and former vice president of the MAX programme, will be leaving the organization. As reported by the Seattle Times, he was forced out.
The memo states that Katie Ringgold will succeed Clark as vice president and general manager.
After the January accident involving a brand-new Alaska Airlines 737 MAX 9, during which a cabin panel detached and took off in midair, Boeing has been under pressure to explain and strengthen its safety procedures.
Clark served as the factory’s general manager in Renton, Washington, where the accident-related aircraft was assembled.
Boeing’s Leadership Changes and Safety Focus
The Seattle Times reported that Deal stated in the memo that the leadership changes were designed to increase BCA’s “commitment to ensuring that each aircraft we deliver meets or surpasses all quality and safety requirements.”
The aforementioned leadership transitions occur prior to the scheduled meeting between Boeing CEO Dave Calhoun and US Federal Aviation Authority (FAA) Administrator Mike Whitaker the following week, following the FAA administrator’s visit to Renton for a tour of the Boeing 737 facility.
In January, the FAA imposed a multi-week grounding of the MAX 9 and halted MAX production by Boeing pending the outcome of an investigation of the aircraft manufacturer’s manufacturing facility.
The door panel that descended from the aircraft appeared to be devoid of four critical fasteners, the US National Safety Transportation Board reported in early February in a preliminary capacity.
The report indicates that in order to restore rivet damage, the door plug in question was removed; however, the NTSB has not discovered any indication that the bolts were reinstalled.
On certain 737 MAX 9s, the panel functions as a plug in lieu of an additional emergency egress.
This is the second crisis involving Boeing in recent years, following two fatal MAX aircraft accidents.
