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OAN’s Brooke Mallory
11:34 AM – Friday, June 14, 2024
Based on data from a supplier, the two largest commercial airline manufacturers, Boeing and Airbus, may have used titanium delivered with forged documentation. This has prompted an inquiry by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).
In a statement to NBC News on Friday morning, the FAA stated that it would investigate claims made by Spirit Aerosystems regarding how the two aviation giants purportedly used counterfeit titanium in their aircrafts. The titanium was accompanied by documents attesting to its authenticity, but the papers may have been forged, officials fear.
The announcement comes at a difficult time for Boeing. The company is already being investigated by the federal government for safety issues. However, the announcement also exposes Airbus, a company based in France, to increased scrutiny inside the aviation sector.
The Wichita, Kansas-based Spirit Aerosystems, which first brought attention to the titanium problem, claimed to have moved quickly to eliminate any potentially dangerous titanium from the supply chain.
“This is about titanium that has entered the supply system via documents that have been counterfeited. When this was identified, all suspect parts were quarantined and removed from Spirit production,” the company said.
Spirit added that “more than 1,000 tests have been completed to confirm the mechanical and metallurgical properties of the affected material to ensure continued airworthiness.”
“Boeing reported a voluntary disclosure to the FAA regarding procurement of material through a distributor who may have falsified or provided incorrect records,” the FAA said in a statement. “Boeing issued a bulletin outlining ways suppliers should remain alert to the potential of falsified records.”
The commercial airline market is dominated by Airbus, with 60% of the market held by Boeing. This arrangement has been referred to as a duopoly.
Boeing also made another statement, saying: “This industry-wide issue affects some shipments of titanium received by a limited set of suppliers, and tests performed to date have indicated that the correct titanium alloy was used.”
Boeing is “removing any affected parts on airplanes prior to delivery. Our analysis shows the in-service fleet can continue to fly safely,” according to a company spokesman.
Soon after, Airbus also released an additional statement.
“Numerous tests have been performed on parts coming from the same source of supply,” the statement said. “They show that (aircraft) airworthiness remains intact. The safety and quality of our aircraft are our most important priorities, and we are working in close collaboration with our supplier.
The FAA announced earlier on Friday that it was looking into how a Boeing 737 Max aircraft was involved in a “Dutch roll” incident last month while traveling from Phoenix to Oakland.
In January, a 737 Max-9’s door panel blew off in midair, sparking Boeing’s turbulent year.
Additionally, the FAA is looking into whether Boeing performed the necessary inspections on its flagship 787 Dreamliners.
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