WASHINGTON (TND) — After years of flagging problems with Boeing's 737 Max aircraft, a former Boeing employee is still working to keep the jets out of the air after a recent mid-air door plug blowout.
Flight 1282 bound for Ontario International Airport in California from Portland International Airport in Oregon returned to the ground in January without its door plug, a startling incident not only for those on the plane but for future travelers too.
The 737 Max 9 planes have since undergone rigorous inspections and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has cleared the aircraft to fly, while an investigation continues into the incident.
In a recent statement, Boeing told KOMO:
"We will continue to cooperate fully and transparently with the FAA and follow their direction as we take action to strengthen safety and quality at Boeing. We will also work closely with our airline customers as they complete the required inspection procedures to safely return their 737-9 airplanes to service."
But, former Senior Manager of Boeing's 737 Program Ed Pierson says he won't step foot on one.
Pierson is now the Executive Director at the Foundation for Aviation Safety and joined The National Desk Friday evening to discuss why.
It's fair to say that I'm actually very skeptical," Pierson said. "Well, we're not saying that they have to replace them. What we're saying is they have to make them safe.Pierson said his foundation has seen data indicating the airplanes are not safe.
"I mean a lot of attention has been given to the Alaska Air accident, rightfully so," Pierson said. "Clearly there's serious problems there, that allowed something like that to happen."
He said his foundation was afraid that Alaska was going to "patch it up and say everything's good and make a bunch of promises and then return to normal business."
As for other Boeing models, Pierson said just in January, they have seen at least three or four serious incidents on 737-8 airplanes.
We have seen a boatload of systems problems and these include everything from flight management computers that are routinely failing to anti-icing issues to autopilot, auto throttle, just goes on and on.Pierson said the planes seeing issues are new planes that haven't been with an airline for long.
"I mean, that's what people have to understand is if you know, you have a plane that's basically, hasn't been at the airlines long enough to go through any kind of serious maintenance, you have these issues. You have to ask yourself what's causing it," Pierson said.
As for what is needed to solve this issue, some in the industry have suggested a redesign.
Pierson said his foundation plans to release a statement soon recommending that all 737 Max planes be immediately grounded, inspected and then repaired if needed.
He said being that he worked in the factory, he has firsthand experience seeing what happens if you rush airplanes out the door, highlighting "the mistakes that can be made."
Pierson said the 737 planes are machines that are a thousand times more complicated than his analogy.
As for what this means for passengers and the future of air travel, Pierson said he can't speak for all travel.
"I can just say that I think that passengers needed demand that the Boeing company leadership gets their act together and figures out what's going on with these planes and really does a serious, you know, in-depth assessment of what's causing these problems because it's not just a matter of bolts."
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