ARLINGTON, Va. — Boeing said Wednesday that the head of its 737 program is leaving the company in an executive shake-up weeks after a door panel blew out on a flight over Oregon, renewing questions about safety at the company.
Boeing announced the departure of Ed Clark, who had been with the company for 18 years.
Katie Ringgold will succeed him as vice president and general manager of the 737 program, and the company's Renton, Washington site.
The moves are part of the company's “enhanced focus on ensuring that every airplane we deliver meets or exceeds all quality and safety requirements," Boeing Commercial Airplanes President Stan Deal wrote in an email to employees. “Our customers demand, and deserve, nothing less.”
In January, an emergency door panel blew off a Boeing 737 Max 9 over Oregon. Bolts that helped secure a panel to the frame of the 737 Max 9 were missing before the panel blew off the Alaska Airlines plane last month, according to accident investigators.
Attorney Mark Lindquist, who is representing 22 passengers who were on the flight, called the firing of the Max division a "solid step." He added the "culture of cutting corners for profits" should have changed after the two deadly Lion Air and Ethiopian Airlines crashes left 346 people dead and led to a near two-year grounding of all Max 8 and 9 planes.
"Unfortunately, it did not. The Max 9 door plug blowout is proof," Lindquist said.
"My clients and I want to see accountability that goes beyond a single termination," Lindquist added. "The continuing quality control issues at Boeing cannot credibly be blamed on a single leader. We want to see Boeing return to an era of engineering excellence rather than maximum profitability."
The shake-up comes after the head of the Federal Aviation Administration said Boeing — under pressure from airlines to produce large numbers of planes — is not paying enough attention to safety.
Boeing Co., which is based in Arlington, Virginia, also named longtime executive Elizabeth Lund to the new position of senior vice president for BCA Quality, where she will lead quality control and quality assurance efforts.
