Faulty part bogs down Boeing’s jet lines

EVERETT — The Boeing Co.’s widebody jets, except the 787, need to be inspected for faulty parts similar to the problem the jetmaker recently had with its single-aisle 737.

Boeing partner Spirit AeroSystems discovered that nutplates from one of its three suppliers lacked an anti-­corrosive coating. Boeing disclosed earlier this month that the nutplates, which work like fasteners, had affected its Renton-built 737 jet. The company confirmed Tuesday that its widebody jets — the 747, 767 and 777 — also were affected by faulty plates.

Boeing’s Bev Holland stressed that problem does not create a flight safety issue.

The Chicago-based company has not set new delivery schedules of its commercial jets since early November when Machinists returned from a 57-day strike. The Wall Street Journal reported last week, citing unnamed sources familiar with the matter, that Boeing would push back delivery of all its aircraft by 10 weeks.

On Tuesday, Holland indicated that any delays for the nutplate issue would be included in the new schedule. She did not comment on the Wall Street Journal report.

“It’s all being figured out in the recovery plan,” she said.

For a variety of reasons, Boeing workers are being asked to volunteer to log extra hours in the factories over the holidays, both at Thanksgiving and during the Dec. 24 to Jan. 2 winter break.

Both Boeing and Spirit, which installs the nutplates on aircraft fuselages before shipping the sections to Boeing, are inspecting nutplates on all aircraft in production and are replacing the faulty pieces.

“There’s a potential that every plane built since September 2007 could be affected, including all the planes in production,” Holland said.

Workers in Everett are inspecting the 747, 767 and 777 planes still at the factory just as Boeing employees in Renton are responsible for checking the 737 nutplates. The scope of the problem on the widebody jets is less than that for the 737s, Holland said.

Boeing has delivered 19 747 jets, 12 767s and 82 of its 777 aircraft since September 2007.

“We are still working with the FAA and with Spirit on how to address those in-service planes,” Holland said.

The company, along with the Federal Aviation Administration and Spirit, are determining when those affected aircraft already in service should be checked, possibly during a routine inspection. Boeing’s new 787 Dreamliner doesn’t use nutplates.

Earlier this month, Scott Carson, president of Boeing Commercial Airplanes, said that Spirit addressed the problem appropriately, bringing it to Boeing’s attention.

“It shows the system is working,” Carson said.

Boeing has seen several setbacks recently, including delaying the first deliveries of its 777 Freighter and 747-8 jumbo jet. The company also pushed back the first flight of its delayed 787 Dreamliner following the Machinist strike. But Carson dismissed speculation of a larger structural problem at Boeing.

“There isn’t anything fundamentally broken,” he said.

Company spokesman Tim Healy declined on Tuesday to specify which airplane lines will remain open over the holidays for the extra work by volunteers.

Boeing Machinists receive what amounts to triple time for each day worked during the holiday period. Work over the holidays is on a volunteer basis only, Healy said. The company is encouraging employees to take two out of the three major upcoming holidays off work, he added.

“Employees should be able to take the time off,” Healy said.

Boeing engineers have been working a “tremendous” amount of overtime, particularly in Everett, said Bill Dugovich, communications director for the Society of Professional Engineering Employees in Aerospace. About 23 percent of SPEEA engineers have been logging in more than 144 hours of overtime per quarter.

With delays on the 787, 747-8 and 777 Freighter, “I would expect that to be the case during the holidays,” Dugovich said.

SPEEA members, both engineers and technical workers, will vote on a new four-year contract Monday.

Reporter Michelle Dunlop: 425-339-3454 or mdunlop@heraldnet.com.