Scary skies: ‘Small holes’ lead to startling discovery of counterfeit titanium on Boeing and Airbus jets

[Bogeyman]

Boeing 737 Max may be one of the affected plane models

Parts used in recently manufactured Boeing and Airbus jets have been left peppered with small holes after components were sold under the false pretence they were made from titanium.

The affected parts, which were supposed to be made of the strong and corrosion-resistant metal, were sold with allegedly counterfeit documents claiming to verify the material’s authenticity.

An investigation has been launched by the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and Spirit AeroSystems – which supplies wings to Airbus and fuselage for Boeing.


It comes after an unnamed parts supplier uncovered small holes in the material from corrosion, The New York Times reported.

The FAA is looking into both the long and short-term implications for the aircraft equipped with the faulty parts. It’s not clear how many planes have used components made from the fake titanium.

“Boeing reported a voluntary disclosure to the FAA regarding procurement of material through a distributor who may have falsified or provided incorrect records,” the FAA told The Independent.


“Boeing issued a bulletin outlining ways suppliers should remain alert to the potential of falsified records. The FAA is investigating the scope and impact of the issue through our Continued Operational Safety process,” it added.

Boeing’s 737 Max and 787 Dreamliner airliners, along with Airbus’ A220 allegedly include components made with the material, three anonymised sources close to the matter told TheNew York Times. All aircraft were said to be built between 2019 and 2023.


It’s currently unknown which planes are in service, and for which airline. Boeing told The Independent that the issue affects “a very small number of parts on any related Boeing airplane”.

“This industry-wide issue affects some shipments of titanium received by a limited set of suppliers, and tests performed to date have indicated that the correct titanium alloy was used,” Boeing wrote.


“To ensure compliance, we are removing any affected parts on airplanes prior to delivery. Our analysis shows the in-service fleet can continue to fly safely,” it added.

Spirit AeroSystems is trying to uncover from where the titanium was procured and to what extent it is structurally sound. If necessary, affected parts will be replaced, with the company currently assessing the most efficient means of doing so.

The faux titanium has been used in both Boeing 737 Max and Airbus A220’s heat shield that protects a component that connects a jet’s engine to its frame, according to Spirit AeroSystem officials.

Boeing’s 787 Dreamliner has used the material in its passenger entry door, cargo doors and a component that connects the engines to the plane’s airframe.

Both Boeing and Airbus have said their tests of affected materials had so far shown no issues.

The Independent has requested comment from Airbus and Spirit AeroSystems.

‘Small holes’ lead to startling discovery in Boeing and Airbus jets

Boeing’s 737 Max and 787 Dreamliner and Airbus’ A220 may have been built using the affected parts

www.independent.co.uk

 

[Kartal1]

Boeing 737 Max may be one of the affected plane models

Parts used in recently manufactured Boeing and Airbus jets have been left peppered with small holes after components were sold under the false pretence they were made from titanium.

The affected parts, which were supposed to be made of the strong and corrosion-resistant metal, were sold with allegedly counterfeit documents claiming to verify the material’s authenticity.

An investigation has been launched by the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and Spirit AeroSystems – which supplies wings to Airbus and fuselage for Boeing.


It comes after an unnamed parts supplier uncovered small holes in the material from corrosion, The New York Times reported.

The FAA is looking into both the long and short-term implications for the aircraft equipped with the faulty parts. It’s not clear how many planes have used components made from the fake titanium.

“Boeing reported a voluntary disclosure to the FAA regarding procurement of material through a distributor who may have falsified or provided incorrect records,” the FAA told The Independent.


“Boeing issued a bulletin outlining ways suppliers should remain alert to the potential of falsified records. The FAA is investigating the scope and impact of the issue through our Continued Operational Safety process,” it added.

Boeing’s 737 Max and 787 Dreamliner airliners, along with Airbus’ A220 allegedly include components made with the material, three anonymised sources close to the matter told TheNew York Times. All aircraft were said to be built between 2019 and 2023.


It’s currently unknown which planes are in service, and for which airline. Boeing told The Independent that the issue affects “a very small number of parts on any related Boeing airplane”.

“This industry-wide issue affects some shipments of titanium received by a limited set of suppliers, and tests performed to date have indicated that the correct titanium alloy was used,” Boeing wrote.


“To ensure compliance, we are removing any affected parts on airplanes prior to delivery. Our analysis shows the in-service fleet can continue to fly safely,” it added.

Spirit AeroSystems is trying to uncover from where the titanium was procured and to what extent it is structurally sound. If necessary, affected parts will be replaced, with the company currently assessing the most efficient means of doing so.

The faux titanium has been used in both Boeing 737 Max and Airbus A220’s heat shield that protects a component that connects a jet’s engine to its frame, according to Spirit AeroSystem officials.

Boeing’s 787 Dreamliner has used the material in its passenger entry door, cargo doors and a component that connects the engines to the plane’s airframe.

Both Boeing and Airbus have said their tests of affected materials had so far shown no issues.

The Independent has requested comment from Airbus and Spirit AeroSystems.

‘Small holes’ lead to startling discovery in Boeing and Airbus jets

Boeing’s 737 Max and 787 Dreamliner and Airbus’ A220 may have been built using the affected parts

www.independent.co.uk

Is this the same case that we recently discussed regarding TUSAS after Temel Kotil was replaced or this is different?

 

[Bogeyman]

Is this the same case that we recently discussed regarding TUSAS after Temel Kotil was replaced or this is different?

@Yasar_TR @Sanchez @Afif @Nilgiri
@TR_123456

What do you think?

 

[Afif]

@Yasar_TR @Sanchez @Afif @Nilgiri
@TR_123456

What do you think?

We have to wait for more details.

 

[Bogeyman]

​

Metallurgist gets 2.5 years for faking steel-test results for Navy subs​

Feb 15, 2022

A metallurgist in Washington state was sentenced to 2 1/2 years in prison and a $50,000 fine Monday after she spent decades faking the results of strength tests on steel that was being used to make U.S. Navy submarines.

Elaine Marie Thomas, 67, of Auburn, Washington, was the director of metallurgy at a foundry in Tacoma that supplied steel castings used by Navy contractors Electric Boat and Newport News Shipbuilding to make submarine hulls.

From 1985 through 2017, Thomas falsified the results of strength and toughness tests for about half the steel the foundry produced for the Navy. The tests were intended to show that the steel would not fail in a collision or in certain “wartime scenarios,” the Justice Department said.

Thomas pleaded guilty to fraud last November. U.S. District Judge Benjamin Settle sentenced her in Tacoma, calling her actions a “crime of pride and ego, that in some way she knew better than those who set the standards,” according to a news release from Seattle U.S. Attorney Nick Brown.

The sentence was less than half the nearly six years sought by prosecutors.

“Our Sailors and Marines depend upon high quality products and services from our contractors to safely and effectively meet the worldwide mission of the Department of the Navy,” Navy Secretary Carlos Del Toro said. “We will continue to insist that our contractors must meet these high standards.”

There was no allegation that any submarine hulls failed. But authorities said the Navy has spent nearly $14 million, including 50,000 hours of engineering work, to assess the parts and risk to the 30 submarines affected. The Navy says it will incur further costs as it continues monitoring the subs.

Thomas’ conduct came to light in 2017, when a metallurgist being groomed to replace her noticed suspicious test results and alerted their company, Kansas City-based Bradken Inc., which acquired the foundry in 2008.

Bradken fired Thomas and initially disclosed its findings to the Navy, but the company then wrongfully suggested that the discrepancies were not the result of fraud. That hindered the Navy’s investigation into the scope of the problem as well as its efforts to remediate the risks to its sailors, prosecutors said.

In June 2020, the company agreed to pay $10.9 million in a deferred-prosecution agreement.

When confronted with the doctored results, Thomas told investigators, “Yeah, that looks bad,” the Justice Department said. She suggested that in some cases she changed the tests to passing grades because she thought it was “stupid” that the Navy required the tests to be conducted at negative-100 degrees Fahrenheit (negative-73.3 degrees Celsius).

In a letter to the court, Thomas said she was mortified at what she had done. Her attorney, John Carpenter, noted in a sentencing memorandum that she did not gain financially by faking the test results. He asked for a sentence of probation.

“Ms. Thomas is good person who let a number of work pressures cause her to make bad decisions,” he wrote. “Ms. Thomas never intended to place any sailor at risk and is gratified that the Navy’s testing compels the conclusion that she has not.”

Metallurgist gets 2.5 years for faking steel-test results for Navy subs

Elaine Marie Thomas pleaded guilty to fraud last November.

www.navytimes.com

 

[Yasar_TR]

@Yasar_TR @Sanchez @Afif @Nilgiri
@TR_123456

What do you think?

This is a news piece by a UK newspaper, once very reputable. But probably due to sharp decline in sales has lost a lot of ground and unfortunately resorted to making fantastic claims about parts being peppered with holes.
New York Times makes a better and more reliable account of the whole subject.

F.A.A. Investigating How Questionable Titanium Got Into Boeing and Airbus Jets

The material, which was purchased from a little-known Chinese company, was sold with falsified documents and used in parts that went into jets from both manufacturers.

www.nytimes.com

NYT clearly says that :

The titanium in question has been used in a variety of aircraft parts, according to Spirit officials. For the 787 Dreamliner, that includes the passenger entry door, cargo doors and a component that connects the engines to the plane’s airframe. For the 737 Max and the A220, the affected parts include a heat shield that protects a component, which connects a jet’s engine to the frame, from extreme heat.

Boeing and Airbus both said their tests of affected materials so far had shown no signs of problems.

Can anyone with the right mind think that such engine and structural parts have holes and still carry on operating?

Quite likely the case is such that, as explained before the “cheaper” titanium coming from a non registered supplier is still good enough but does not have the correct documentation. That makes it somewhat unusable as far as traceability condition dictates.