Boeing's shitty planes

Maybe Boeing should ask for Apple’s help in designing durable products :joy:

Some heads need to roll in Boeing.

In fact, Boeing should be sued out of existance.

Loctite?

Yes, the blue stuff. I even put it on Ikea furniture I assemble :joy:

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My daughter and her husband went to visit their factory when they were on holiday up in Seattle/Washington State area a couple of years back. All they got was a quick tour, no inside visit and very little information as it seemed all hush hush everywhere. They liked Alaska Airlines which have a good safety record and who are in league with Virgin I believe. Hope Airbus are better made as they test a Beluga every few weeks right over my house down here and other models so low you can see the pilots.

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What was really worrying to me over this accident was watching the NTSB initial investigation video {called a B-roll). It showed an investigator examining the hole and its surroundings. Then, he looked puzzled and started walking up the plane looking carefully at the fuselage from the inside. Then he stopped. Next, you see four investigators talking and one person takes a video whilst another takes notes What it shows is that about 10 rows up, there is a badly distorted inner fuselage panel at a point close to above where the wing joins the fuselage. Then it cuts. Now, that may have been caused by the depressurisation, and it’s not a load bearing panel but it looks strange.

Read up on what happened when Boeing took over McDonnell Douglas in the late 1990s and it will all become clear.

A good chunk of the new board were the same people from MD who decided paying out for DC10 crashes was cheaper than redesigning the aircraft.

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Yes, I’ve read all about the Boeing/McD tie up and how it completely changed the culture of Boeing from being an engineering focused company to an executive (think bonuses) and beancounter led company. And it’s not just the commercial aircraft arm that seems to screw up so regularly. Just look what’s happening with Starliner and the U.S air force tanker replacement.

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Only just read the article posted by @John_Scully about the faults found by United. If United alone found 5 planes with issues, how many more could there be in the whole fleet ? If this is an issue in production, then how many more issues like this could there be ? It’s frightening to think about it. Imagine what would have happened if the door had blown out at cruising altitude when many people could have taken their seat belts off, instead of 16,000 feet when they still had them on.

Air pressure at 16,000’ is about 70-80% of cabin pressure (usually the cabin is pressurised to about 10psi which is roughly equivalent to 8000’) rather than about 35% of cabin pressure at 32,000’

The increased differential would almost certainly have lead to passengers close to the door plug being sucked out of the aircraft - it’s a very big hole (large enough for an emergency exit, obviously).

Everyone had a lucky escape with this one.

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It just gets worse for Boeing. After the 737 Max 9 issues with a door blowing off and missing bolts, they now have issues with the 737 Max 7. Apparently, if pilots leave the engine cowl deicers on for just 5 minutes in dry air. after icing has cleared, the engine cowl risks disintegration, potentially ingestion into the engine causing engine failure. They asked the FAA for an exemption for the fault but since the 737 Max 9 fiasco, they have withdrawn the request. You couldn’t make it up.

Edit: Reading more, it seems as though the issue was found on the Max 7 last year and the exemption was granted to allow it into service. In January, two Delta Airlines engine cowls were found with cracks in them and under pressure, Boeing have withdrawn the exemption. I think this may mean that up to 400 737 Max 7’s in the U.S. are now grounded. Also, the same engine cowl deicing system is used on the Max 8 (Ryanair have lots of these) and Max 9 as well, so this could turn into a real sh**storm.

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Terrible how a company once known for its reliable and tough products can loose its way. I remember Mercedes did the same in the nineties. They merged/acquired Chrysler hoping the new entity would have Mercedes build quality and Chrysler’s styling flair. In fact the reverse happened and Mercedes quality tanked.

Same with Saab and GM.

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It’s probably apocryphal but there was a story at the time that, just after the merger, they did a product comparison and Mercedes sent a car seat to Chrysler who took it apart and said it was over- specified. Chrysler then sent over a seat saying ‘here’s what you can do for half the price’ to which Mercedes replied that they’d overpaid.

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In the same bin as enterprise A sending Enterprise B it’s finest thinnest drill to show off, only to have it returned with a hole neatly drilled through the centre (usually USA/Russia or USA/Japan being the home of the enterprises involved)

As you say - it never happened :slight_smile:

“If it’s a Boeing, I ain’t going.”

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I’m on a Qantas 757 from London to Perth at the end of March. Only two engines :scream: I was expecting an A380 :slightly_frowning_face:

I can lend you my personal locator beacon. That way they will always find you.

Good point. I still have my EPIRB from my sailing days. I’ll bring it onboard :slightly_smiling_face:

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The yellow one?