Boeing must inspect thousands of holes on some 165 stored 737 Max

Roughly 165 of the 737 Max 8s in Boeing’s inventory of undelivered aircraft will require detailed inspections and rework to address a recently revealed issue with the jets’ aft-pressure bulkhead. That is according to Boeing CFO Brian West, who on 7 September revealed details about how many 737 Max are affected by the bulkhead issue. On the same day, the CE of Spirit AeroSystems, which supplies Boeing with 737 Max fuselages, including the bulkheads, disclosed more information about the defect. “It will impact about 75% of the 220 airplanes that were in inventory as of the end of the second quarter,” West says during an investor conference hosted by financial firm Jefferies. That equates to 165 aircraft. “The item… in the aft fuselage was a step back from” Boeing’s goal of achieving a more stable production system. Boeing had previously disclosed little about how many 737 Max have the aft-pressure bulkhead issue, which the company first disclosed in August. The problem involves “fastener holes that did not conform to our specifications”, Boeing said. Only 737 Max 8s – not Max 9s – are impacted. Still unclear is how many in-service aircraft might have the defect and require fixes. Boeing insists the problem does not degrade flight safety. During the same conference, Spirit CEO Tom Gentile says the pressure-bulkhead defect resulted from an “automated drilling process, which if not done perfectly could create on oblong hole”. The affected structure has about 1,000 holes, of which about 500 are drilled using the automated process and could therefore “be suspect”, he says. Spirit has 39 fuselages that still require inspections and possible repairs. Addressing the issue requires completing x-ray inspections to identify oblong holes. <br/>