Why blame the manufacturer?

[Fox Mike]

Daily we see something or other about a problem with something on an airplane (Airbus - Boeing). Immediately the aircraft manufacturer is 'blamed' for the fault. Today I read that a nose wheel, on a Delta airlines, came off when on a takeoff roll. The article immediately brought up Boeing. I wonder if they realize that once the airline acquires the plane the airline is also the maintainer. It isn't Boeing's fault that some maintenance person forgot to torque or install a cotter pin or the tech inspector never actually looked at the installation. I worked on helicopters, built by Bell, for 20+ years. When something wore out or broke never was Bell blamed (although many times we suggested the engineer that designed some part had their head inserted somewhere that the sun never saw).

 

[contender]

A big plus one FM

 

[woodsy]

There is a report that Boeing has numerous subcontractors, and that one of them is responsible for that door plug. Regardless, it all falls on Boeing as being the final blame guy. And rightly so.

 

[eveled]

In the HVAC industry it seems the oposite. Nothing is ever blamed on the manufacturer.

If it is an actual law suit, every one gets blamed. The court sorts it out.

 

[Ray Newman]

I often wonder if this "blame the manufacturer" excuse or concept is the result of too many people feeling that businesses, and especially Big Businesses, are inherently to blame because businesses do not pay their fair share of taxes, abuse their workers, have no pension plans, suppress "living wages", etc.

 

[caryc]

OK, I'm wondering if those planes come from the factory with the door plug if specified by the purchaser or does the purchaser install them. Also wondering why use a door plug? Why not just have a door there whether or not they use it?

Have any factory installed doors ever blown out in flight?

 

[txramfan]

OK, I'm wondering if those planes come from the factory with the door plug if specified by the purchaser or does the purchaser install them. Also wondering why use a door plug? Why not just have a door there whether or not they use it?

Have any factory installed doors ever blown out in flight?

The plug is used because it allows more seats. They could put in emergency exit door and reduce the number of seats.

 

[Fox Mike]

There is a report that Boeing has numerous subcontractors, and that one of them is responsible for that door plug. Regardless, it all falls on Boeing as being the final blame guy. And rightly so.

You purchase a car from a dealer. The dealer has mechanics that work on said vehicle. Now, if said mechanic (subcontractor) screws up and the wheel falls off your car please explain to me how it would be the fault of the manufacturer.
I doubt that you have any idea just how many "sub contractors" are responsible for the manufacture of one airplane. Sub contractors supply just about everything except the building and personnel that assemble the aircraft. Every rivet, screw, nut, washer, sheet of aluminum, piece of lexan, and any other individual item is provided by a 'subcontractor"

 

[crstrode]

OK, I'm wondering if those planes come from the factory with the door plug if specified by the purchaser or does the purchaser install them. Also wondering why use a door plug? Why not just have a door there whether or not they use it?

Have any factory installed doors ever blown out in flight?

Anything attached with bolts will fall off when the bolts "go away". It matters not who installed them bass-ackwards.

 

[txramfan]

There is a report that Boeing has numerous subcontractors, and that one of them is responsible for that door plug. Regardless, it all falls on Boeing as being the final blame guy. And rightly so.

Spirit Aerosystems is the contractor that builds the 727 fuselage and installed the plug.

 

[beentheredone]

Every report I saw of the wheel departing the aircraft took great pains to explain that it was NOT a "Boeing problem", but strictly someone else's maintenance goof.

 

[ned]

Anything attached with bolts will fall off when the bolts "go away". It matters not who installed them bass-ackwards.

If you are interested this guy, atp and A&P has put this out

 

[Fox Mike]

Boeing doesn't do the required inspections on the Delta aircraft. Delta hired mechanics do the inspections when required. It isn't Boeing's fault if a Delta mechanic and tech inspector aren't doing their jobs properly. I was a tech inspector for helicopters. My job was to verify the procedures the mechanics performed were 'by the book' and then I place my signature over theirs to verify that all was done correctly. If the job did not meet my "quality control" I would not sign off the repair and it would have to be done again until completed correctly. Shortcuts kill people.

 

[ole442]

Must have had the "Seatbelts On" sign ON?? I never heard that anyone got sucked out of the open doorway. That would made this a really emotional incident!

 

[JackBull]

I did a 6 month internship for a jet engine manufacture, composite materials department. They were trying to develop carbon fiber rotor blades. Manufacturing was outsourced to a vendor in San Diego that, of course, hired my poorly educated immigrants. Carbon fiber parts are made in layers, each sheet having to be laid out in a particular orientation for strength. The low tech workers could never get it right and our engineers had to keep dumbing down the diagrammatic instructions so they could understand what to do. Never did get the parts to work.

 

[hike]

Blaming a wealthy corporation does 2 things --> 1) it scares the "little people: and 2) it scares the big corporation. (Think Ford's exploding gas tanks and Audi's "self-driving" car.)

 

[redhawker]

I'm thinking this door plug thing is going to be Boeing's fault. My understanding is the aircraft was about 3 months old so I'm pretty sure the airline hadn't gotten to where any inspections of the door plug/bolts were mandated.

 

[Pathfinder36]

I fully understand the point you're making but don't really agree.
Delta ( for example) contracts and buys a plane from, and pays Boeing.
Delta doesn't buy parts of a plane from X number of subcontractors and self assemble it themselves, they expect a
fully inspected and ready to fly aircraft without parts falling off.
I actually make on a very small scale "details" that go into various stuff, when I sell them to my customers they get
inspected before they accept them and I get paid, sometimes several times in the "food chain" as they get
incorporated into a final product.

It's an interesting discussion but it seems to me that the guy's name on the door is responsible for the entire item. He is always responsible for the routine inspection, regular and periodic maintenance as well as emergency repairs. Doesn't the latter absolve the manufacturer except design defects?

 

[GunnyGene]

Watch a 737Max assembly. About 5 minutes:

 

[caryc]

Just in case anyone was wondering about that light blue color on the fuselage, that is what's called Pelac. It is for one particular purpose. It does nothing to protect the metal. It's a very thin coating that is for detecting any scratches on the metal. It will show very small hairline scratches done after that coating is applied. It will peel off easily. Now file that in your "useless info" file. ;)