The Boeing aviation company announced on Monday that current CEO Dave Calhoun intends to step down by the end of the year.
This move came after months of incidents involving the company's planes have created a bruising PR nightmare, causing widespread uncertainty among the general public about the quality of Boeing planes and air travel in general. Larry Kellner, chairman of the board for Boeing, will also not be seeking reelection and will be replaced by Steve Mollenkopf, the former CEO of Qualcomm and a Boeing board member since 2020, with the search ongoing for a replacement for Calhoun.
While the company has weathered incidents and accidents with its planes at various points in the past, its current troubles flared up after a January incident involving an Alaska Airlines flight that went viral online. Every incident involving troubles with a Boeing craft since then has received renewed and intense public scrutiny.
Newsweek reached out to Boeing via email on Monday morning for comment.
Here is a look at the incidents on Boeing planes since January.
Alaska Airlines, January 5
On this date, a Boeing 737 Max 9 craft operated by Alaska Airlines was forced to make an emergency landing shortly after departing Portland International Airport after a shoddily installed door plug flew off in midair. Images from inside the craft showing the sizable opening that had been left in the craft went viral online, causing widespread alarm, though no one on board had been injured.
Four days later, both Alaska and United Airlines reported that several Max 9 crafts were found to have loose bolts on their door plugs.
All Nippon Airways, January 13:
A Boeing 737-800 operated by Japan's All Nippon Airways was forced to cancel its takeoff on January 13 after a window in the cockpit cracked.
Atlas Air, January 18:
Videos posted on social media on January 19 showed flames coming out of a Boeing 747-8 over Miami. The flight had been bound for Puerto Rico but was grounded after the crew detected an engine failure.
Delta Airlines, January 20:
This incident took place at Georgia's Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport and involved a Boeing 757. The flight, number DL982 bound for Bogota, Colombia, was taxiing on the runway to prepare for takeoff when it was discovered that its front nose wheel had fallen off and rolled away. This resulted in a delay for the international flight as the situation was resolved.
United Airlines, February 6:
United Airlines flight number 1536 was bound for the Bahamas on this date after departing New Jersey, but upon landing it was reported to have experienced stuck rubber pedals, prompting a probe from the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB).
United Airlines, March 7:
On this date, a United Boeing 777-200 bound from San Francisco to Japan was forced to reroute to Los Angeles immediately after takeoff after one of its wheels fell off. No one was injured, but a car was heavily damaged by the wheel after it came off.
LATAM Airlines, March 11:
A Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner bound from Sydney, Australia, to Auckland, New Zealand, experienced a midflight technical issue that resulted in the craft dropping midflight, injuring 50 people on board.
United Airlines, March 13:
A Boeing 777-300 bound from Sydney to San Francisco was forced to turn around and land where it started after a fuel leak was reported after takeoff.
United Airlines, March 15:
A Boeing 737-800 bound from San Francisco to Medford, Oregon, arrived at Rogue Valley International-Medford Airport with an exterior panel missing, having seemingly fallen off during the flight.
Uncommon Knowledge
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
About the writer
Thomas Kika is a Newsweek weekend reporter based in upstate New York. His focus is reporting on crime and national ... Read more
