Boeing's Death Spiral

First, we discover that a former Boeing test pilot was indicted for lying to the FAA.

I really hope that he flips on his superiors, because I am certain that he did not do this on his own initiative:

A federal grand jury on Thursday indicted a former top pilot for Boeing, Mark Forkner, in connection with statements he and the company made about its troubled 737 Max jet, the culmination of a long investigation.

Mr. Forkner is accused of deceiving the Federal Aviation Administration and of “scheming to defraud Boeing’s U.S.‑based airline customers to obtain tens of millions of dollars for Boeing,” the Justice Department said in a statement.

Prosecutors contend that Mr. Forkner provided the aviation agency with “materially false, inaccurate and incomplete information” about flight control software implicated in two crashes in 2018 and 2019 in which 346 people were killed. That software, known as MCAS (for Maneuvering Characteristics Augmentation System) was designed to push down the plane’s nose in certain situations.

“In an attempt to save Boeing money, Forkner allegedly withheld critical information from regulators,” Chad E. Meacham, the acting U.S. attorney for the Northern District of Texas, said in a statement. “His callous choice to mislead the F.A.A. hampered the agency’s ability to protect the flying public and left pilots in the lurch, lacking information about certain 737 Max flight controls.”

………

At the time, Mr. Forkner was Boeing’s chief technical pilot, a senior position responsible for the company’s interaction with the F.A.A. group that determined what kind of training pilots would need before flying the Max.

During a simulated test flight in November 2016, Mr. Forkner discovered that the software could be triggered at slower speeds, including those commonly experienced during takeoff and landing. Soon after, he shared his discovery with a colleague, saying in an instant message “I basically lied to the regulators (unknowingly),” according to the filing.

I so hope that he flips on his superiors.

And then there are the structural deficiencies discovered in the 787 Dreamliner and the fact that they found that two nips (micro bottles) of Tequila in the new Air Force One that they are manufacturing:

Boeing Co. is dealing with a new defect on its 787 Dreamliner, the latest in a series of production slip-ups that have delayed aircraft deliveries and drawn increased U.S. government scrutiny.

The new problem involves certain titanium parts that are weaker than they should be on 787s built over the past three years, people familiar with the matter said. The discovery is among other Dreamliner snafus that have left Boeing stuck with more than $25 billion of the jets in its inventory.

The finding is fresh evidence that the plane maker is still trying to fix its manufacturing operations, despite a nearly two-year push by Chief Executive David Calhoun to restore Boeing’s reputation for building quality jets. In addition, the Federal Aviation Administration is investigating Boeing’s quality controls. The company acknowledged it hasn’t solved the problem of junk left over from the production process, such as two empty tequila mini-bottles found in September on a new Air Force One jet under construction.

………

Earlier this year, inspections of 737 MAX aircraft found a pocketknife left in a wheel well and a soiled lavatory, people familiar with the debris said. “Though we are still falling short of our goal of zero FOD for every aircraft we deliver, our customers acknowledge the progress we are making,” the Boeing spokesman said, referring to foreign-object debris.

The under-strength parts are an artifact of Boeing attempting to outsource as much as possible, which was a classic case of know-nothing MBA bullsh%$.

The pocket knife, tequila bottles, and what sounds like sh%$ in the toilet?  Those sound like sabotage from a thoroughly demoralized workforce.

Thank you, but I will fly Airbus for a while.