Devendra Kumar
Boeing’s announcement that Ed Clark will be leaving his position as head of the 737 program after 18 years marks a significant shift in the company’s focus towards ensuring that every airplane it delivers meets or exceeds all quality and safety requirements. This move comes weeks after a door panel blew out on a Boeing 737 Max 9 flight, sending debris raining down over the Pacific Northwest state of Oregon. The incident was investigated by the National Transportation Safety Board, which found that the bolts that helped secure the panel to the frame of the plane were missing. Clark’s departure is part of a broader effort by Boeing to refocus on quality and safety.
Boeing Commercial Airplanes president Stan Deal wrote in an email to employees, “Our customers demand, and deserve, nothing less.” Deal’s comments suggest that the company is aware that it has faced criticism for prioritizing production goals over safety concerns. The recent incident is just the latest in a series of problems to plague Boeing’s 737 program. In 2018 and 2019, the company faced a crisis after two of its 737 Max jets crashed, killing 346 people. The crashes were attributed to a faulty sensor system that caused the planes to pitch downwards, and resulted in a worldwide grounding of the 737 Max fleet.
As Boeing seeks to recover from the crisis and rebuild trust with its customers, the company is taking steps to address concerns about the quality and safety of its products. The appointment of Elizabeth Lund to the new position of senior vice president for BCA Quality is part of this effort. Lund has been a long-time executive at Boeing, and will be responsible for leading quality control and quality assurance efforts across the company.
The shake-up at Boeing comes as the head of the Federal Aviation Administration, Steve Dickson, suggested that the company is not paying enough attention to safety. Dickson told lawmakers that Boeing is under pressure to produce large numbers of planes, and as a result, the company may be sacrificing safety in order to meet production goals. Boeing has faced criticism in the past for prioritizing production over safety, and the company’s response to the recent incident and subsequent changes suggest that it is taking steps to address these concerns.
The departure of Ed Clark and the appointment of Katie Ringgold and Elizabeth Lund mark a significant shift in Boeing’s focus towards ensuring that its products meet the highest standards of quality and safety. The company’s efforts to rebuild trust with its customers will be closely watched, and it remains to be seen whether these changes will be enough to address the concerns of lawmakers, regulators, and the public.