A recent Federal Aviation Administration audit of Boeing 737 Max production raised a curious question. Was it really appropriate for one of the aircraft manufacturer’s primary suppliers to use Dawn dishwashing liquid and a hotel key card as part of its manufacturing process?
It turns out the answer might be yes.
The FAA conducted the test after a panel known as a door plug blew off a 737 Max 9 during an Alaska Airlines flight in January. The New York Times reported last month that the agency’s investigation found dozens of problems at Boeing and the supplier Spirit AeroSystems, which makes the 737 Max fuselage.
Both Boeing and Spirit have come under intense scrutiny following the incident involving the Alaska plane, which apparently left Boeing’s factory in Renton, Washington. Four screws that secured the door stopper were missing. Spirit has struggled with quality issues and suffered financial losses in recent years. Last month, Boeing said it was in talks to acquire the company, which was spun off in 2005.
But after the Alaska episode, Spirit says one thing was misunderstood: the use of the dish soap and the hotel key card.
In fact, the company says it is now properly authorized to use the soap as well as a newly developed tool that resembles a key card. According to Spirit, both have been approved by Boeing engineering authorities and documented for use under FAA standards as factory tools, known as shop aids.
“People look at the hotel key card or the Dawn soap and think that’s sloppy,” said Joe Buccino, a spokesman for Spirit. “This is actually an innovative approach to efficient store assistance.”
A Boeing spokeswoman confirmed that the company approved the use of the soap and key card tool as store supplies. The FAA said it could not comment because the review was part of its ongoing investigation in response to the Alaska incident.
As part of the audit, agency employees visited Spirit’s factory in Wichita, Kan. One aspect of the manufacturing process they examined was the way Spirit handles door plugs, which replace the emergency exits that would be required if an aircraft were equipped with a tighter seating arrangement.
At one point, the FAA observed Spirit mechanics using a hotel key card to check a door seal that was “not identified/documented/not mentioned in the production order,” according to a document describing some of the test results.
Spirit officials said the key card was used to check the gap between the seal and the door plug to ensure there were no obstructions, rolling or pinching. The workers had previously tried other tools that were either too brittle or did not bend sufficiently. However, Spirit engineers found that the key card, with rounded corners and just the right amount of flexibility, allowed them to check the gap without damaging the seal.
After Spirit employees were discovered using the key card, the company’s engineers developed a similar tool that employees can use in the future. The new device, which is green and square, is intended as a scraping tool, but Spirit has smoothed its jagged edges and rounded its corners.
Sean Black, Spirit’s chief technology officer, led the effort to get the new tool approved and properly documented for use at Boeing.
“Our employees regularly find creative ways to make the hull construction process more efficient,” said Mr. Black. “In this case, workers developed the Door Rigger seal tool, which allows our teams to test the door seals without the risk of the seal deteriorating over time.”
Instead of a hotel key card, Spirit developed a similar tool for its employees to check door seals.Credit…Spirit AeroSystems
Then there was the matter of the dishwashing liquid.
At another point during the audit, the FAA saw Spirit mechanics applying liquid Dawn soap to a door seal “as a lubricant in the assembly process,” according to the document describing some of the audit findings. The agency also watched as the door seal was cleaned with a damp cheesecloth to remove soap and dirt. According to the document, the instructions were “vague and unclear as to which specifications/actions must be followed or recorded by the mechanic.”
These observations addressed the process by which workers ensure that the seal is properly attached to the door frame. Mr. Buccino said the Dawn soap was intended to ensure there were no cracks or bulges when the gasket was installed. He said the soap’s chemical properties would not affect the seal’s resistance over time. Spirit again sought approval from Boeing to use the soap and proper documentation.
Ghost workers didn’t land on the dishwashing liquid on the first try. Mr Buccino said other common products had been used in the past – including petroleum jelly, cornstarch and talcum powder – but these had the risk of deteriorating the seal over time.
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2024-04-11 18:15:27
www.nytimes.com