Boeing, the aerospace giant, is confronting intense scrutiny once again following a series of alarming incidents involving its passenger jets over just a two-day span, reigniting concerns over the company’s quality control and safety practices.
The latest drama unfolded on Wednesday when a Boeing 767 cargo plane operated by FedEx experienced a front landing gear failure while attempting to land at Istanbul Airport. Dramatic footage captured the moment the plane’s nose slammed into the runway, scraping along the tarmac as it decelerated, with sparks flying and smoke trailing behind. Thankfully, no injuries were reported among the crew, who evacuated safely as emergency crews swiftly responded.
Just a day later, on Thursday, a pair of Boeing 737 jets suffered frightening mishaps within hours of each other. In Senegal, a 737-300 carrying 78 passengers skidded off the runway and burst into flames during takeoff at Blaise Diagne Airport near Dakar. Shocking video showed terrified passengers fleeing the burning wreckage via emergency slides as flames engulfed the left engine. Eleven people were injured, four seriously, though no fatalities have been reported. Authorities are investigating the cause.
Hours later in Turkey, a 737-800 operated by Corendon Airlines sustained a burst tire upon landing at Gazipasa Airport, with its front landing gear crumpling beneath the fuselage. All 190 people on board were safely evacuated with no injuries.
While the causes of the individual incidents remain under investigation, the cluster of events has intensified the spotlight on Boeing’s ongoing safety crisis. The company is already facing heightened government scrutiny over suspected lapses in quality control and manufacturing oversight.
Just this week, the Federal Aviation Administration revealed it has opened an investigation into Boeing after workers at a South Carolina plant were discovered falsifying inspection records on certain 787 Dreamliner jets. The agency said it will determine whether mandatory tests were skipped and whether staff falsified aircraft paperwork. Production slowdowns are expected as a result.
The developments compound the reputational hit for Boeing, which is still reeling from the fatal crashes of two 737 MAX planes in 2018 and 2019 that killed 346 people and led to a 21-month global grounding of the fleet. Federal prosecutors have been weighing reviving a criminal fraud case against the company over those catastrophes.
In recent months, a string of costly mishaps have plagued Boeing’s operations, from an engine fire on a 737 departing Houston in March to the shocking scene of an emergency exit door blowing off a brand-new 737 MAX shortly after takeoff from Portland in January. One 787 Dreamliner plunged 300 feet over New Zealand that same month, injuring more than 50 passengers.
Compounding Boeing’s woes, the company disclosed in April that two whistleblowers who had raised safety allegations died in the span of just two months – one by suicide and the other from an infection, with the latter’s family alleging he was fired for flagging defective manufacturing.
The incidents have battered Boeing’s already-fragile credibility and finances. Its market value plummeted by $24 billion after the January door blowout incident, and the company’s CEO announced plans to step down amid the latest turmoil engulfing production issues.