--- title: "There Was Some Shady Stuff Going on With That Door Plug That Blew Out of the Boeing 737" description: "Workers had failed to properly document a key stage of the repair process, as Boeing rushed along production on faulty fuselages." date: "2024-04-04" modified: "2024-04-04" authors: - name: "Frank Landymore" job_title: "Contributing Writer" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/flandymore" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/investigation-door-plug-boeing-737" categories: - "Advanced Transport" - "Boeing" - "Space" tags: - "aircraft" - "airplanes" - "boeing" - "the digest" --- # There Was Some Shady Stuff Going on With That Door Plug That Blew Out of the Boeing 737 ![Workers had failed to properly document a key stage of the repair process, as Boeing rushed along production on faulty fuselages.]() *\Image: Patrick T. Fallon / AFP via Getty / Futurism\* ## Riveting Issue A [new report]() from the *Wall Street Journal* reveals the chaos behind the scenes at a Boeing 737 factory before the [door plug on one of its planes blew out midair]() on a flight full of passengers, a near-catastrophic incident that has seen the aerospace manufacturer [mired]() [in]() [controversy](). According to entries in the factory's Shipside Action Tracker (SAT) reviewed by the *WSJ*, production was stalled on the ill-fated 737 MAX jet after workers had flagged damaged rivets on its fuselage on September 1. In a bid to draw attention to the issue, they pushed it to "Tier 3" priority. That only resulted in more chaos and delays. It took workers 50 times the estimated time to fix the damaged rivets around the door plug, according to the report, and the work wasn't ultimately completed until September 20. And yet, despite that sluggish pace, the blame may come down to Boeing trying to move things along too hastily. "It’s a failure on all of us," a Boeing employed involved with the 737 MAX told the *WSJ*. "We all feel it." ## Deferred Disaster The 737 fuselages were supplied by Spirit AeroSystems. Though Boeing had discovered defects in the fuselages a month prior, it decided to use them anyway. The solution was "traveled work," in which unfinished work is moved further along the production line with the intention of addressing those issues later. On one hand, this keeps things moving when, for example, parts are missing, letting work continue on in other areas. But the downside is clear: it increases the risk of problems getting overlooked. "Years ago, we weren't going this fast," said a Boeing veteran who was involved with work related to the door plug. "I'm not saying fast caused the problem. Something happened. I don't know what it was." Further details of the chaos would seem to highlight the potential chaos caused by traveled work. "CONDITION STILL EXIST. RIVETS WERE JUST PAINTED OVER," reads an almost comical entry six days after the issue was flagged. And just days later: "Damaged rivets are not acceptable and need to be removed and replaced." ## Ditzy Documentation In perhaps the most eyebrow-raising incident, Boeing workers failed to document the removal of the door plug's bolts, which was done to access the faulty rivets. Had an official "removal" process been undertaken, according to the *WSJ*, a quality assurance team would've double-checked the installation. This glaring omission stunned employees. "I was, like, 'What the hell?' Boeing does a great job especially on documentation," said the Boeing veteran. "If you take something out, you've got to write a removal." It was only by extremely good fortune that no one was killed in the door plug blowout. If these details are at all representative of the company's practices, Boeing has a lot to answer for. **More on Boeing:** *[Boeing Can't Seem to Stop Delaying Its First Astronaut Launch]()* ## Author At Futurism, my work has often centered on bringing a sense of clarity and insight to complex topics ranging from the regulation of emerging technologies to the esoteric ideologies of Silicon Valley executives, while striving not to lose the poetic sense of awe inspired by often-obscure fields like astrophysics and quantum computing. I broke the story of CNET using AI to produce articles that turned out to be riddled with factual errors and plagiarism — a dam-breaking inflection point, as I've reported, that's inspired copycats and endless discourse while beguiling stakeholders ranging from tech giants to purveyors of spam around the web. My work at Futurism has been cited by publications including CBS News, the Los Angeles Times, Vice, Gizmodo, Engadget, the Verge, and Vanity Fair. I grew up in locales ranging from India to China, and now live in the exotic suburbs of Virginia. In my free time, I'm an avid reader of weird sci-fi literature, an aficionado of East Asian cinema, and, regrettably, a relapsed gamer. Allegedly, I’m working on a debut novel, currently untitled. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()