Full timeline of Boeing problems in 2024 as second whistleblower dies

Boeing has had a torrid start to 2024, including two whistleblowers raising issues about the company’s sudden demise.

The first of them, John Barnett, took his own life just days after testifying against the aircraft giant.

But in addition to legal problems on the ground, their planes themselves were also plagued by problems in the air.

A series of flights experienced problems of varying severity, each contributing to a sense of chaos around the company.

Below is a full timeline of Boeing’s difficult 2024.

Boeing 2024 timeline

January 5th

On January 5, Alaska Airlines Flight 1282 – a Boeing 737 Max 9 – lost a door plug at 16,000 feet during a flight from Portland, Oregon, to Ontario, California.

That part was designed to replace an unnecessary emergency exit door and exploded within just 20 minutes of takeoff.

An emergency landing was required and the plane landed safely, but a teddy bear, two cell phones, a seat headrest and a 15-year-old passenger T-shirt were lost.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) grounded 171 of the 737 Max 9s in the aftermath, and six of the flight’s passengers sued the airline.

Alaska Airlines and United Airlines also found loose parts on the door plugs of their grounded planes.

January 16

An anonymous whistleblower broke rank by saying the door plug burst “was Boeing’s fault,” not its supplier Spirit AeroSystems.

First reported by The Seattle Timesthey claimed that the fuselage panel had been removed for repairs and then improperly reinstalled at the Washington factory

“The reason that the door blew off is stated in black and white in Boeing’s own administration,” they wrote on the aviation site Leeham News.

“It’s also very, very stupid and speaks volumes about the quality culture in certain parts of the company.”

February 6

A report from the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) states that the January 5 incident was due to the missing four crucial bold letters on the panel that blew out.

February 21st

Ed Clark, the chief of Boeing’s 737 Max program, was reportedly fired amid a structural shake-up at the company.

Clark also served as general manager of the Renton, Washington, facility and had been with Boeing for 18 years.

He was replaced by Katie Ringgold, while a position of senior vice president of quality was also created.

3 March

A United Airlines Boeing 737 Max 8 veered off the runway after landing in Houston due to the plane’s collapse.

Shocking footage showed the plane lying flat on its wings on the grass along the side of the runway as passengers were quickly evacuated from an emergency staircase.

4th of March

An FAA audit of both Boeing and Spirit AeroSystems “revealed multiple instances in which the companies allegedly failed to meet manufacturing quality control requirements.”

6 March

The head of the NTSB accused Boeing of “failing to cooperate” with the investigation into the January incident.

Jennifer Homendy said investigators looked for the names of the 25 people who work on door plugs at the Renton facility but had not received them from Boeing.

She told a Senate committee hearing that “it’s absurd that two months later we still don’t have it.”

However, Boeing spokesman Connor Greenwood pushed back, insisting that the names of Boeing employees would be provided “early in the investigation.”

The same day, the engine of a 737 caught fire in the sky over Texas, causing an emergency landing minutes into its journey to Fort Myers, Florida.

March 7th

Shortly after takeoff from San Francisco, a wheel fell off a Boeing 777-200, crushing cars below.

The plane carrying 235 passengers and 14 crew was diverted to Los Angeles Airport after being alerted to a landing gear failure and landed safely without further incident and without injuries to the ground.

9th of March

Boeing whistleblower John Barnett, 62 – a former quality control manager and employee of 32 years – was found dead in his truck outside a South Carolina hotel, days after testifying in a lawsuit against the company.

The coroner put the case down to a ‘self-inflicted’ gunshot wound to the head, although police confirmed they would investigate further.

Barnett had made a series of complaints to his supervisors during his time as quality control manager before leaving the company in 2017 for health reasons.

In January 2024 he appeared on TMZ to say that the 737 Max 9 plane was launched back into the air too quickly after the accident, indicating that corners had been cut.

11 March

A Boeing 777 was forced to land after hydraulic fluid spouted from the landing gear.

The emergency landing occurred as the 777-300 bound for San Francisco took off from Sydney, with fluid leaking from the undercarriage on video.

Mar. 15

A United Airlines 737 was grounded after it was found to be missing a panel after successfully landing at Medford Airport, Oregon, despite the missing part.

20th of March

A Boeing 737 900 bound for Atlanta was forced to turn around and make an emergency landing after an engine failed on takeoff from Aruba.

The Delta flight circled the Caribbean island four times before coming back to land after a “mechanical problem.”

29 March

United Airlines Flight 990 – a Boeing 777-200 – from San Francisco to Paris had to land early in Denver after engine problems.

April 4

Alaska Airlines announced it had received $160 million in compensation from Boeing after its 737 Max 9s were grounded following the Jan. 5 blowout.

The amount was equal to lost revenue, according to a filing by the airline, but Alaska added that it also expected to receive additional compensation.

April 10

Another whistleblower, Sam Salehpour, blasted Boeing for taking shortcuts in building the 777 and 787 Dreamliner jets, adding that the company retaliated against him when he raised his concerns.

A week later, he doubled down on the claims, adding on NBC that 787s should be grounded for fear of “fatal flaws” that could cause them to break up in mid-air.

In a 1,500-word statement, Boeing said it had “complete confidence” in the 787 and called concerns about its structural integrity “inaccurate.”

11 April

An internal Boeing review in response to an initial Wall Street Journal An investigation found that CEO Dave Calhoun and other airline bosses spent $500,000 on company private jets for personal trips that were falsely registered as business trips.

Boeing’s investigation concluded that some flights executives took in 2021 and 2022 “had not previously been classified as perks by the company.”

In the company’s April 5 proxy filing, Boeing said these flights “should have been classified as such in accordance with SEC rules and guidelines.”

April 16

United Airlines signaled it will reduce its dependence on Boeing after announcing a $124 million loss in the first quarter of 2024 that was blamed on the scandal-laden manufacturer.

April 24

Boeing’s CEO reassured investors after announcing a $355 million first-quarter loss, which coincided with a six percent drop in stock prices.

Calhoun added that before his departure at the end of 2024, he had a successor lined up who would come from within the company.

26 April

Delta Flight 520 was forced to make an emergency landing at JFK Airport when an emergency slide fell from the Boeing 767 an hour into its journey to Los Angeles.

FAA records indicated the plane was 33 years old.

30th of April

A second whistleblower, Joshua Dean, died suddenly at the age of 45 after raising the alarm about alleged defects in 737 Max jets.

The former Spirit employee previously said he was fired from his quality audit role in October 2022 for questioning standards at the supplier’s factory in Wichita, Kansas.

His family said on social media that Dean died in hospital after a sudden illness.

Earlier in 2024, Dean spoke with NPR about getting fired. ‘I think they sent a message to someone else. If you are too loud, we will silence you,” he said.