These articles keep linking things to Boeing but the reality here is just piss poor maintenance and QA issues at the airline. Look at the quality of the workers and maintenance practices.
Boeing has some serious problems but this is like doing an like changing on your car, you drain the oil, put in a new oil filter and drive 40 miles and the engine seizes up because you forgot put oil back in. It’s not the car manufacturers fault.
Not sure how these aircraft wheels are done now, but years ago I did aircraft maintenance and the wheels were idiot proof. You’d tighten a nut until a couple holes lined up. At that point, you put a pin through the hole, like a cotter key, that prevented the nut from backing out. For inspection, you simply had to make sure the pin was in place. Nearly impossible to screw up, I wouldn’t think they’d change that simple system, but who knows
The way I read it its more about United airlines than Boeing......having said that, I spent 36 years in aviation maintenance and I totally agree with you, it’s lack of QA and maintenance practices and habits.
17 years in QA I can tell you bad maintenance habits can spread through a plant like a virus and once it gets started it can be difficult to get a handle on.