William Simpson
Federal transportation authorities are investigating how titanium sold with false documentation found its way into parts used to make Boeing and Airbus planes.
The Federal Aviation Administration and Spirit AeroSystems, a supplier of fuselages to Boeing and wings to Airbus, said Friday they are investigating the scope and impact of the problem, which could raise potential concerns about aircraft safety. First reported by New York TimesThe problem came to light after a parts supplier found small corrosion holes in the titanium, according to for the newspaper.
“Boeing reported a voluntary disclosure to the FAA regarding the acquisition of material through a distributor that may have falsified or provided incorrect records,” the agency said in a statement. “Boeing has issued a bulletin outlining ways suppliers should remain alert to the potential for falsified records.”
Spirit said it is working to determine the source of the titanium and has removed the affected parts from the company’s production line for testing.
“This is titanium that entered the supply system through falsified documents,” Spirit spokesman Joe Buccino said in a statement. “When this was identified, all suspicious parts were quarantined and removed from Spirit production. More than 1,000 tests have been completed to confirm the mechanical and metallurgical properties of the affected material to ensure continued airworthiness.”
Planes with parts containing the suspected material were manufactured between 2019 and 2023 and include some Boeing 737 Max and 787 Dreamliner planes, as well as Airbus A220 jets, according to the Times, which cited three people familiar with the matter. An employee of a Chinese company that sold the titanium falsified information in documents certifying the material’s origin, and the origin of the material remains unclear, according to Times sources.
Boeing said testing of the materials in question produced no evidence of a problem. The problem affects a small number of parts on Boeing planes, according to the aircraft manufacturer. Boeing said it directly buys most of the titanium it uses in aircraft production and that supply is not affected.
“This industry-wide issue affects some titanium shipments received by a limited set of suppliers, and testing to date has indicated that the correct titanium alloy was used. To ensure compliance, we are removing all affected parts from the aircraft before delivery. Our analysis shows that the in-service fleet can continue to fly safely.”
The development comes after a series of security issues for the aviation industry this year, including an alarming incident during the flight in January when a door panel exploded on a Boeing 737 Max 9 jet operated by Alaska Airlines.
Boeing also informed the FAA in April of another incident involving potentially falsified inspection records related to the wings of the 787 Dreamliner planes, saying that it would be necessary to reinspect some planes still in production.
—Kathryn Krupnik and Kevin McCarron of CBS News contributed to this report.
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