Boeing recently announced it would replace the head of its 737 Max program in its Renton, Washington facility following a controversial incident where a Max 9 aircraft lost a door plug during a flight earlier this year.
Ed Clark, who has led the Max program at Boeing since 2021, is set to be replaced by Katie Ringgold, who serves as the vice president of 737 delivery operations. Furthermore, Elizabeth Lund, a senior vice president and general manager of Airplane Programs, was appointed to a newly created position at Boeing that will lead quality control initiatives.
Stan Deal, CEO of Boeing’s commercial airplane unit, announced in an internal memo Clark’s replacement, where Ringgold would take over as president and general manager of the program. “I am announcing several leadership changes as we continue driving BCA’s enhanced focus on ensuring that every airplane we deliver meets or exceeds all quality and safety requirements. Our customers demand, and deserve, nothing less,” Deal said.
Clark had been with the company for nearly two decades. “Ed departs with my, and our, deepest gratitude for his many significant contributions over nearly 18 years of dedicated service to Boeing,” Deal added in his statement.
Roughly two months ago, during an Alaska Airlines flight, the plug flew off of the door, leading to speculation surrounding Boeing’s operations. The incident occurred nearly after the flight departed from Portland International Airport, where the door plug blew out approximately 16,000 feet after takeoff. According to a preliminary report from subsequent investigations, the National Transportation Safety Board discovered four critical bolts missing from the door plug.
Following the Max 9 controversy, Boeing CEO Dave Calhoun opined on the incident, affirming that the company is ultimately responsible. Calhoun maintained that the cause of the door plug blowing off would be determined and addressed.
“We caused the problem, and we understand that,” he explained to investors during a call. “Whatever conclusions are reached, Boeing is accountable for what happened. Whatever the specific cause of the accident might turn out to be, an event like this simply must not happen on an airplane that leaves one of our factories. We simply must be better.”
“I’ve had tough and direct conversations with our customers, regulators and lawmakers,” the CEO continued noting that Boeing has ground to make up. “They are disappointed, and we have much to prove to earn our stakeholders’ confidence.”
The January 737 Max 9 incident involving the door plug has provided another challenge for the company, which has been trying to recover from other controversies in recent years. The Boeing 737 Max 8 suffered fatal crashes in 2018 and 2019 that killed nearly 350 passengers.
However, Calhoun has offered hopeful messages about Boeing’s mission, maintaining that the company will take necessary action to ensure the safety of its airplanes. “Our people on the factory floor know what we must do to improve better than anyone. We will go slow, we will not rush the system and we will take our time to do it right,” the CEO said. “Increased scrutiny — whether from ourselves, from our regulator, or from others — will make us better,” he added.
Watch a recent incident involving a Boeing wing coming apart in mid-air here:
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