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Politics|F.A.A. Investigating How Questionable Titanium Got Into
Boeing and Airbus Jets
  
https://www.nytimes.com/2024/06/14/us/politics/
boeing-airbus-titanium-faa.html

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F.A.A. Investigating How Questionable Titanium Got Into Boeing and
Airbus Jets

The material, which was purchased from a little-known Chinese
company, was sold with falsified documents and used in parts that
went into jets from both manufacturers.

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Several plane fuselages on the floor of a factory, with a group of
workers standing on the floor.
A Boeing manufacturing facility. The company has been under intense
scrutiny after a series of recent mishaps and safety issues.Credit...
Logan Cyrus/Agence France-Presse -- Getty Images
Mark Walker

By Mark Walker

Reporting from Washington

June 14, 2024Updated 5:17 p.m. ET

Some recently manufactured Boeing and Airbus jets have components
made from titanium that was sold using fake documentation verifying
the material's authenticity, according to a supplier for the plane
makers, raising concerns about the structural integrity of those
airliners.

The falsified documents are being investigated by Spirit AeroSystems,
which supplies fuselages for Boeing and wings for Airbus, as well as
the Federal Aviation Administration. The investigation comes after a
parts supplier found small holes in the material from corrosion.

In a statement, the F.A.A. said it was investigating the scope of the
problem and trying to determine the short- and long-term safety
implications to planes that were made using the parts. It is unclear
how many planes have parts made with the questionable material.

"Boeing reported a voluntary disclosure to the F.A.A. regarding
procurement of material through a distributor who may have falsified
or provided incorrect records," the statement said. "Boeing issued a
bulletin outlining ways suppliers should remain alert to the
potential of falsified records."

The revelation comes at a moment of intense scrutiny of Boeing and
the broader aviation industry, which is reeling from a series of
mishaps and safety issues. In January, a door panel blew off a Boeing
737 Max 9 jet while it was in flight, prompting several federal
investigations. In April, Boeing told the F.A.A. about a separate
episode involving potentially falsified inspection records related to
the wings of 787 Dreamliner planes. Boeing reported to the F.A.A.
that it might have skipped required inspections involving the jet's
wings and that it would need to reinspect some of the Dreamliners
still in production.

On May 30, Boeing submitted a plan to the F.A.A. outlining safety
improvements it planned to make and committed to weekly meetings with
the agency. Dave Calhoun, the Boeing chief executive, is set to
testify on Tuesday before a Senate panel on the company's safety
issues.

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