Safety Is Clearly Not a Priority

Boeing spent tens of billions of dollars on stock buybacks instead of trying to build a plane that didn’t crash or disintegrate midair https://t.co/QQpoUMH366 pic.twitter.com/yvWiQgU1RG

— meriadoc christmas 🔻 (@_gothlorien) January 6, 2024

This!

The Boeing 737 MAX, this time the MAX 7 model has a problem.

Its deicing system can blow up the engine nacelles.

Short version, if the engine inlet deicing systems are run for more than 5 minutes once icing conditions have ended, the outer cover for the engine can break up, throwing debris into the wing and passenger areas.

It seems to me that if your deicing system blows up the engines, that someone has been very careless.

Little noticed, the Federal Aviation Administration in December published a Boeing request for an exemption from key safety standards on the 737 MAX 7 — the still-uncertified smallest member of Boeing’s newest jet family.

Since August, earlier models of the MAX currently flying passengers in the U.S. have had to limit use of the jet’s engine anti-ice system after Boeing discovered a defect in the system with potentially catastrophic consequences.

The flaw could cause the inlet at the front end of the pod surrounding the engine — known as a nacelle — to break and fall off.

In an August Airworthiness Directive, the FAA stated that debris from such a breakup could penetrate the fuselage, putting passengers seated at windows behind the wings in danger, and could damage the wing or tail of the plane, “which could result in loss of control of the airplane.”

Dennis Tajer, a spokesperson for the Allied Pilots Association, the union representing 15,000 American Airlines pilots, said the flaw in the engine anti-ice system has “given us great concern.”

Yeah, I have a great concern as well:

………

In its petition to the FAA, Boeing argues the breakup of the engine nacelle is “extremely improbable” and that an exemption will not reduce safety.

“The 737 MAX has been in service since 2017 and has accumulated over 6.5 million flight hours. In that time, there have been no reported cases of parts departing aircraft due to overheating of the engine nacelle inlet structure,” the filing states.

On Thursday, Boeing said in an emailed statement that it is “developing a long-term solution that will undergo thorough testing and FAA review before being introduced to the 737 MAX fleet.”

Shorter Boeing, "Nothing has blown up yet, so it is all good."

Need I remind you that we did not see the rudder incidents in the Boeing 737 until around a decade after the planes were flying?

It only killed 157 people, so why pause the stock buybacks to fix this:

………

If the exemption is granted, certification can go ahead, allowing the MAX 7 to begin flying with Southwest Airlines.

Boeing would have until mid-2026 to design, test and certify a permanent fix for the engine anti-ice system defect that would then be retrofitted to all MAXs.

By then, there could be nearly 2,000 MAXs in service, meaning more than 4,000 engines needing the retrofit.

Until then, pilots would have to adhere to the limitation currently applied on the MAX 8 and MAX 9 models. After emerging from icy conditions into drier air they have to make sure they turn off the engine anti-ice system, which heats the inner barrel of the engine pod so that ice doesn’t build up.

If they fail to do so, the system can quickly overheat the carbon composite material and damage the structural integrity of the engine pod.

The problem is there’s no alert or indication to the crew that the system needs to be turned off. They just have to remember to do it.

No.  Just no.