Posted on 06/14/2024 8:25:53 AM PDT by T.B. Yoits
The problem has been traced back to a Chinese supplier.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is investigating an issue involving the authenticity of titanium used in Airbus and Boeing jets after a supplier discovered holes in the metal due to corrosion. This has raised suspicions that a supply chain partner may have falsified documentation, much like the AOG Technics scandal uncovered last year.
As first reported by The New York Times, Airbus and Boeing partner Spirit AeroSystems has alleged that titanium used on recently-built aircraft at both planemakers may have been falsely verified, leading the FAA to launch an investigation.
Apparently, Italian parts supplier Titanium International Group found small holes in titanium in December 2023, and also raised suspicions about the authenticity of documentation. It notified Spirit AeroSystems of the issue, which in turn informed Airbus and Boeing in January 2024. According to three anonymous sources close to the matter, affected planes include those built between 2019 and 2023 and involve the Boeing 737 MAX, 787 Dreamliner and Airbus A220 programs.
The problem has been traced back to a Chinese supplier that sold titanium to Turkish company Turkish Aerospace Industries in 2019. Documentation from this Chinese supplier claimed that the titanium had been sourced from another Chinese firm, Baoji Titanium Industry - however, Baoji Titanium has confirmed that it did not provide this batch of titanium "and has no business dealing with this company."
Airbus and Boeing tests find no problems
Buccino added that aircraft equipped with unverified components will likely remove the parts no matter what happens to be on the safe side. The issue highlights the complexity of the global aviation supply chain and is strongly reminiscent of the AOG Technics scandal when the UK-based supplier falsely verified parts used on the CFM 56 engine.
(Excerpt) Read more at simpleflying.com ...
It's not a complexity problem, it's a crime problem, aided by those selling out to suppliers in Communist countries.
Chinesium strikes again.
Anyone who uses a Chinese supplier for aerospace components gets what they deserve
I think I see the problem.................
Exactly.
I sense a little passing of the buck by Boeing and Airbus.
Trust but verify.
Relying on paper work instead of actual tests?
My uninformed opinion is that fake industry parts & certification is all too common.
"We can do that too!"
When I saw hot sections of jet engines being rebuilt and tagged as airworthy in Turkmenistan back in 1996, I knew what’s coming.
China —> Turkey —> Italy — > Malaysia (Spirit, maybe) —> France & USA
Yikes!!
I hate fake titanium.
Just about every refinery and plant I’ve ever worked in has required an MTR with every piece of material that comes in, and then sends an NDE tech over to hit it with a PMI gun before any welding/fabricating/installing. It’s rare, but not unheard of to have the piece of metal in front of you not match the MTR that came with it. Mostly it was vendors trying to pass off 304 stainless as 316 stainless.
This hits me directly. I have been in aircraft engineering, design, and manufacturing in one way or another for over 20 years now. You would not believe the amount of papers I have in boxes to trace everything back to even the tiniest screw. Don’t get me started on traceability of materials from all over the world. AND, as titanium goes, I first started out designing and making wax molds for titanium castings. I would be proud to show off my QA system for an audit of my procedures. There is only ONE way this happened. Someone lied. And my gut says 100% that it can all be traced back to China. China produces the most titanium billet in the world.
BUT... When it is traced back to China it will mysteriously vanish from any concerns.
And if not CHina. Thugocracies produce quite a bit too. Russia, Ukraine, Khazakstan,
Of course the USA could produce Titanium BUT... you know. A three toed musk rat lives anywhere titanium ore might be mined.
Good thing this is the only thing of importance we import from China.
Actually, here’s how the problem works. There’s a substantial secondary market for certified parts. Say, the Philipine airline ordered a dozen certified bolts. The bolts come in individual wrappers with the appropriate documentation. Boeing needs those bolts but the delivery time from the US supplier is eight weeks. They need them tomorrow. So, they put out a request in the secondary market. The Philippine supplier kept the packaging and documentation of the $150 bolts. Or, an employee stole the packaging and paperwork after the bolts were used. He buys a couple of off the shelf $1 bolts, puts them in the official package and sells them to Boeing for $298 dollars. Now multiply this by the hundreds of thousands of parts out there, most of which are legitimate and some of which aren’t.
The system is not set up with any policing. Likely the bad parts are coming from just one or two bad actors who slip them in amongst good parts. Catching them would require a tracking and reporting system that’s worldwide. Then it would require the Philipine police agencies to conduct raids and prosecutions. (In the hypothetical case I mentioned.) Someone would have to fund this effort, handle the data and police the inputs. This is a problem like having public ownership of some asset. If everyone owns it no one is willing to shoulder the costs and responsibility of maintaining it. And, in this case, solving the problem would not be a modest cost.
china is asshoe
The Japanese also got caught falsifying mill certs.
“The problem has been traced back to a Chinese supplier.”
Tofu Dregs in the air.
see Serpentza
“Relying on paper work instead of actual tests?”
ROTFLMAO!
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