Boeing’s CEO David Calhoun this week announced he would leave the company amid multiple federal probes into its quality control following a 737 MAX door blowout in January.
Calhoun shared a letter to employees and said the Alaska Airlines mishap has been a “watershed moment” for Boeing, and said the company “is going to fix what isn’t working.”
“The eyes of the world are on us,” his note said. He also said he believed Boeing “will come through this moment a better company.”
Boeing has been facing renewed scrutiny over its aircraft's safety in recent months due to a series of incidents:
- Door Incident with 737 MAX: In January 2024, an emergency exit door on a Boeing 737 MAX flew off mid-air on an Alaska Airlines flight. Luckily, there were no injuries, but the incident raised concerns about manufacturing quality control.
- Engine Issues: There have been reports of engine problems on Boeing aircraft, including a fire on a 737 MAX after landing and a fan blade breaking off a 777 shortly after takeoff (both in 2023).
- Other Incidents: Landing gear issues like a tire falling off a 777 during takeoff have also been reported.
- These incidents follow the highly publicized crashes of two 737 MAX planes in 2018 and 2019, which resulted in the grounding of the entire MAX fleet for nearly two years. These crashes were attributed to a faulty flight control system.
Calhoun became CEO after the resignation of Dennis Muilenburg, who left after the 2018 and 2019 737 MAX crashes that killed 346 people overseas and led to multiple federal probes and lawsuits.
The AP offers a timeline of past crashes and safety issues troubling Boeing in recent years: https://apnews.com/article/boeing-max-jet-incident-crashes-f73fb7b9eaff7f6549c88e958f7b8b38
Source: https://www.politico.com/news/2024/03/25/boeing-ceo-calhoun-resignation-00148782
