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The FAA is investigating how counterfeit titanium ended up on Boeing and Airbus planes. Here’s a timeline of the company’s mounting problems.

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The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has launched two further investigations into Boeing. The first was prompted by an incident involving a rare phenomenon called “Dutch Roll” on a 737 Max. The second, which also involves Airbus aircraft, follows a report that counterfeit titanium may have been used in some jet parts.

Boeing has been under increased scrutiny since early 2024: Congress asked top executives to testify at a Senate hearing in mid-April about whether the company’s corporate culture prioritized cost-cutting measures over safety during production of the 787 Dreamliner and 777.

🚨 What just happened?

In May, a Southwest flight from Phoenix to Oakland, California, experienced a “Dutch roll” at 32,000 feet. In a “Dutch roll,” the tail of a plane slips and the plane simultaneously begins to rock from side to side, affecting the plane’s stability and potentially throwing it off course or making it too difficult to turn. It’s a rare situation, but pilots are trained on how to recover from it.

There were no injuries to passengers or crew on the May 25 flight.

An earlier FAA report said a unit that provides emergency power to the rudder, which controls the aircraft’s rotation and stability, was damaged.

Separately, The New York Times reported on June 14 that a recent investigation into supplier Spirit AeroSystems found that counterfeit titanium sold with falsified documents was used to build parts for Boeing and Airbus jets. It is unclear how many planes might contain parts made from counterfeit titanium and how this might affect the structural integrity of those planes.

Boeing responded that most of its aircraft materials had been tested and were not affected. The planes allegedly containing components made from the material were built between 2019 and 2023 and include some Boeing 737 Max and 787 Dreamliner aircraft.

🗓️ Let’s rewind. How did we end up here?

  • The Seattle Times reports that a second Boeing whistleblower died of a sudden infection after spending two weeks in the hospital. Joshua Dean accused Boeing supplier Spirit AeroSystems of ignoring manufacturing defects in the Boeing 737 Max model before firing him in 2023.

  • The FAA announces an investigation into the near-miss of a Southwest Airlines Boeing 737 on March 23 at LaGuardia Airport.

  • After a small fire in the left engine, a Boeing 737 of Southwest Airlines had to make an emergency landing at Preston Smith International Airport.

  • Boeing will pay Alaska Airlines $160 million to compensate the airline for losses caused by the in-flight door lock failure.

  • The FAA announces an investigation into claims made by new Boeing whistleblower Sam Salehpour, an engineer who worked on the 787 and 777 aircraft. He claimed the planes were not held together properly and he feared the planes could break apart in mid-flight after years of use.

  • United Airlines claims that the emergency landing of its Boeing 737 Max 9 aircraft cost the company $200 million in the first three months of the year.

  • In a Senate hearing, lawmakers called several aviation safety experts and former Boeing employees as witnesses. The witness, Sam Salehpour, a quality engineer at Boeing, claimed that the company ignored all of the problems he reported with the 787 and that he was “threatened with violence by my supervisor” after he spoke out.

Read more at Associated Press: Boeing is under Senate scrutiny during two hearings on the aircraft manufacturer’s safety culture

  • The FBI is investigating the Alaska Airlines flight in January in which a door plug was blown off the plane mid-flight – and has told passengers they may be “victims of a crime.”

  • The FAA’s production review of the 737 Max identified several cases in which Boeing allegedly failed to meet manufacturing quality control requirements.

  • In two separate incidents, a Boeing 777-200 loses a wheel during takeoff in San Francisco and a Boeing 737 slides off the runway after landing in Houston.

  • The following week, a prominent Boeing whistleblower, former employee John Barnett, committed suicide while in Charleston, South Carolina, to testify in a lawsuit against Boeing.

  • A Boeing 787 Dreamliner crashes during a flight from Sydney to Auckland, New Zealand, injuring at least 50 people. The same day, a Boeing 777 flight from Sydney is forced to turn around due to a maintenance problem.

  • Another Boeing 777 has to make an emergency landing at Los Angeles International Airport after the pilots reported a flat tire.

  • A Boeing 737 that took off from San Francisco later that week was found to be missing a panel during a post-flight inspection.

  • Boeing is suing Virgin Galactic, accusing the company of stealing trade secrets.

  • Boeing CEO Dave Calhoun announces his resignation at the end of the year. Boeing Commercial Airplanes CEO Stan Deal is retiring and Boeing Chairman Larry Kellner will not seek re-election as a member of the board of directors.

  • A United Airlines Boeing 777 flight from San Francisco to Paris was diverted to Denver due to an engine problem.

  • A United Airlines Boeing 787 aircraft en route from Tel Aviv (Israel) to Newark (New Jersey) was forced to make an emergency landing at Stewart International Airport in New York due to extreme turbulence. Seven passengers were taken to hospital and 15 others were treated at the scene for injuries.

  • An Alaska Airlines Boeing 737 Max 9 jet en route from Honolulu to Anchorage, Alaska, had to turn around after a defective sink flooded the cabin.

Whistleblowers, crashes and a Justice Department investigation: Read more about Boeing’s March mishaps on Yahoo News

Read more at BBC News: Passenger describes being on Alaska Airlines Flight 1282

Read more from Reuters: US lawmakers blame FAA and Boeing for deadly 737 Max crashes

“We’ve known about it (about Boeing) for five years,” Mark Pegram, father of one of the Ethiopian Airlines flight victims, told NPR in March. “I think the rest of the world is finally waking up and realizing that these were not isolated incidents.”

Boeing has paid billions of dollars in settlements since 2018, and in January 2021 the company and its executives reached a stay of prosecution agreement with the Justice Department that has so far helped them avoid criminal prosecution.

Boeing paid $1.77 billion in compensation to passengers, $243.6 million in fines and $500 million to a compensation fund for families of crash victims, CNN reported.

A year-long investigation commissioned by the FAA criticized Boeing’s safety culture and concluded that executives and employees were out of step with safety standards, according to a report released in February. The investigation also found that many employees feared retaliation if they spoke out.

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