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The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is investigating how counterfeit titanium from a Chinese company made its way into recently manufactured Boeing planes.
This discovery came to light after a parts supplier for Boeing found small holes in the material due to corrosion, raising concerns about the structural integrity of the planes.
The counterfeit titanium was used in parts manufactured between 2019 and 2023 for Boeing 737 Max and 787 Dreamliner airliners, as well as Airbus’ A220 jets.
Boeing voluntarily disclosed the procurement of this material to the FAA and issued a bulletin to alert suppliers of potential falsified records.
The FAA is currently investigating the scope and impact of the issue to ensure continued operational safety.
“Boeing reported a voluntary disclosure to the FAA regarding procurement of material through a distributor who may have falsified or provided incorrect records,” an FAA spokesperson stated.
“Boeing issued a bulletin outlining ways suppliers should remain alert to the potential of falsified records. The FAA is investigating the scope and impact of the issue through our Continued Operational Safety process.”
Spirit AeroSystems, a supplier to Boeing and Airbus, is also examining the titanium it used to determine if it meets structural requirements for the planes.
The counterfeit materials were reportedly sold to the plane manufacturers by a Chinese company through forged certificates.
While some tests on the materials have passed, others have failed, raising concerns about traceability and documentation challenges in the supply chain.
Boeing has faced various quality concerns in recent years, including incidents like the emergency landing of an Alaska Airlines flight due to a door plug issue.
“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 stated.
“To ensure compliance, we are removing any affected parts on airplanes prior to delivery. Our analysis shows the in-service fleet can continue to fly safely.”
Dave Calhoun, the CEO of Boeing, has announced his intention to step down at the end of 2024 following a series of safety issues.
“Our quality management process relies on the traceability of the raw materials all the way from the mills,” Spirit senior vice president for global quality Gregg Brown said.
“There has been a loss of traceability in that process and a documentation challenge.”
