Audit reveals eye-watering amount the Pentagon spends on miscellaneous items like soap dispensers

January 5

On January 5, Alaska Airlines Flight 1282 - a Boeing 737 Max 9 - mislaid a doorway plug astatine 16,000 feet connected a formation from Portland, Oregon, to Ontario, California.

That portion is designed to regenerate an unneeded exigency exit door, and it blew retired wrong conscionable 20 minutes of takeoff. 

An exigency landing was required and the level landed safely, but a teddy bear, 2 mobile phones, a child's t-shirt were each said to person have flown retired during the incident.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) grounded 171 of the 737 Max 9s successful the aftermath and six of the flight's passengers went connected to writer the airline.

Alaska Airlines and United Airlines besides went connected to find escaped parts connected their grounded jets' doorway plugs.

January 16

An anonymous whistleblower broke fertile to accidental that the door plug blowout 'was Boeing's fault', rather than its supplier Spirit AeroSystems.

First reported by The Seattle Times, they claimed the fuselage sheet was removed for repair past reinstalled improperly astatine its Washington factory

'The crushed the doorway blew disconnected is stated successful achromatic and achromatic successful Boeings ain records,' they wrote connected aviation tract Leeham News.

'It is besides very, precise anserine and speaks volumes astir the prime civilization astatine definite portions of the business.'

February 6

A National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) study said that the January 5 incident was down to 4 important bolds being missing from the sheet which blew out.

February 21

Boeing's 737 Max programme chief, Ed Clark, was reportedly fired in a structural shakeup astatine the company.

Clark was also general manager astatine the company's Renton, Washington, installation and had been astatine Boeing for 18 years. 

He was replaced by Katie Ringgold, portion a 'senior vice president of quality' relation was created too.

March 3

A United Airlines Boeing 737 Max 8 veered disconnected the runway aft landing successful Houston owed to immoderate benignant of cogwheel collapse.

Shocking footage showed the level lying level connected its wings connected writer by the broadside of the runway, portion passengers were hurried disconnected from an exigency gross ladder. 

March 4

An audit by the FAA of some Boeing and Spirit AeroSystems 'found aggregate instances wherever the companies allegedly failed to comply with manufacturing prime power requirements'.

March 6

The caput of the NTSB accused Boeing of 'not cooperating' with its probe into the January incident. 

Jennifer Homendy said investigators sought the names of the 25 radical who enactment connected doorway plugs astatine the Renton facility, but had not received them from Boeing.

She told a Senate Committee proceeding 'it is absurd that 2 months aboriginal we don't person it'.

However, Boeing spokesperson Connor Greenwood pushed backmost and insisted that names of employees were provided 'early successful the investigation'.

The aforesaid day, a 737's motor caught occurrence successful mid-air above Texas, causing an exigency landing  minutes into its travel to Fort Myers, Florida. 

March 7

A wheel fell disconnected a Boeing 777-200 shortly aft takeoff from San Francisco, crushing cars below. 

The level with 235 passengers and 14 unit diverted to Los Angeles Airport aft it was alerted to the landing cogwheel nonaccomplishment and landed safely with nary further incidental and nary injuries reported connected the ground. 

March 9

Boeing whistleblower John Barnett, 62 - a erstwhile prime power manager and worker of 32 years - was found dormant successful his motortruck extracurricular a South Carolina edifice days aft testifying against the institution successful a lawsuit.

The coroner enactment it down to a 'self-inflicted' gunshot coiled successful the head, though the constabulary confirmed that they would analyse further.

Barnett had made a drawstring of complaints to his higher-ups successful his clip arsenic a prime power manager earlier leaving the institution connected wellness grounds successful 2017.

In January 2024, helium appeared connected TMZ to accidental that the 737 Max 9 craft were being launched backmost into the aerial excessively soon successful the aftermath of the accident, suggesting corners had been cut.

March 11

A Boeing 777 was was forced to onshore owed to hydraulic fluid spewing from its landing cogwheel area. 

The forced landing happened arsenic the San Francisco-bound 777-300 embarked from Sydney, with fluid filmed leaking from its undercarriage. 

March 15

A United Airlines 737 was grounded aft it was found to beryllium missing a panel aft it touched down successfully in Medford Airport, Oregon, contempt the missing part.

March 20

A Boeing 737 900 bound for Atlanta was forced to turn backmost and marque an exigency landing aft an motor stroke retired connected take-off from Aruba.

The Delta flight circled the Caribbean land 4 times earlier coming backmost into onshore pursuing the 'mechanical issue'. 

March 29

United Airlines formation 990 - a Boeing 777-200 - from San Francisco to Paris had to interaction down aboriginal successful Denver aft motor problems.

April 4

Alaska Airlines announced that they had received $160 cardinal successful compensation from Boeing aft their 737 Max 9s were grounded pursuing the January 5 doorway blowout.

The magnitude was adjacent to the gross mislaid according to a filing from the airline, but Alaska added that it anticipated receiving other compensation too.

April 10

Another whistleblower, Sam Salehpour, came guardant successful a Senate committee proceeding to impeach Boeing of taking shortcuts erstwhile gathering its 777 and 787 Dreamliner jets and added that the institution had retaliated against him erstwhile helium raised concerns. 

He doubled down connected the claims a week later, adding connected NBC that 787s should beryllium grounded fearing 'fatal flaws' which could lawsuit them to autumn isolated mid-air.

In a 1,500 connection statement, Boeing said it was 'fully confident' successful the 787 and called concerns astir structural integrity 'inaccurate.'

April 11

An interior Boeing reappraisal successful effect to an archetypal Wall Street Journal investigation recovered that CEO Dave Calhoun and different bosses astatine the aviation steadfast spent $500,000 connected institution backstage jets for idiosyncratic trips which were improperly recorded arsenic concern travel.

Boeing's reappraisal concluded that immoderate of the flights taken by executives successful 2021 and 2022 'were not antecedently classified arsenic perquisites by the company'.

In the company's proxy filing connected April 5, Boeing said that these flights 'should person been classified arsenic specified successful accordance with SEC rules and guidance'. 

April 16

United Airlines indicated it volition trim reliance connected Boeing after announcing a $124m nonaccomplishment successful the archetypal 4th of 2024, which it blamed connected the scandal-laden manufacturer.

April 24

Boeing's CEO assured investors aft a first-quarter nonaccomplishment of $355m was announced which coincided with a six per cent dip successful stock prices.

Calhoun added that helium had a successor lined up for his departure astatine the extremity of 2024 who would travel from wrong the company.

April 26

Delta formation 520 was forced to marque an exigency landing astatine JFK Airport erstwhile an exigency descent fell disconnected the Boeing 767 an hr into its travel to Los Angeles.

FAA records indicated that the level was 33 years old. 

April 30

A 2nd whistleblower, Joshua Dean, died abruptly aged 45 having raised the alarm astir supposed defects successful 737 Max jets.

The erstwhile Spirit worker antecedently said helium was fired from his prime auditing relation for questioning standards astatine the supplier's works successful Wichita, Kansas, successful October 2022.

His household said connected societal media that Dean died successful infirmary aft a abrupt illness. 

Earlier successful 2024, Dean spoke with NPR about being fired. 'I deliberation they were sending retired a connection to anybody else. If you are excessively loud, we volition soundlessness you,' helium said. 

May 6 

The US Federal Aviation Administration revealed it has opened an probe into Boeing aft the institution reported that workers astatine a South Carolina works falsified inspection records connected definite 787 planes.

Boeing said its engineers person determined that misconduct did not make 'an contiguous information of formation issue'.

No planes person been taken retired of service, but having to execute the trial retired of bid connected planes volition dilatory the transportation of jets inactive being built astatine the last assembly works successful North Charleston, South Carolina.

Boeing indispensable besides make a program to code planes that are already flying, the FAA said.

May 8

A FedEx Airlines Boeing cargo level landed astatine Istanbul Airport without the beforehand landing cogwheel deployed and managed to enactment connected the runway, Turkey's transport ministry said, adding that determination were nary casualties.

The Boeing 767 aircraft, flying from Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport, informed the postulation power operation astatine Istanbul Airport that its landing cogwheel failed to unfastened and it landed with guidance from the tower, the ministry said successful its statement.

Airport rescue and occurrence warring teams made indispensable preparations connected the runway earlier landing, and nary 1 was injured, the ministry besides said, without giving a crushed for the failure.

Footage showed sparks flying and fume billowing arsenic the beforehand extremity of the level scraped on the runway earlier being doused with firefighting foam.

May 9 

A Corendon Airlines Boeing 737 plane's beforehand tyre burst upon landing astatine an airdrome successful confederate Turkey connected Thursday, the Turkish transport curate said, adding determination were nary casualties and each 190 passengers and unit were evacuated.

The beforehand landing cogwheel strut was damaged connected the Corendon Airlines plane, arriving from Cologne, Germany, arsenic it landed astatine Alanya-Gazipasa airdrome successful Antalya.

The aforesaid day, a Boeing rider level came disconnected the runway during takeoff from Dakar planetary airport, injuring 11 radical and shutting the hub for hours. 

The Air Senegal formation was bound for the Malian superior Bamako and had 78 passengers connected board, positive a unit of six including 2 pilots, airdrome absorption institution LAS said successful a statement.

Images showed the craft successful an overgrown country with archetypal aiders surrounding an injured person. Smoke and flames are besides disposable adjacent the plane.

Also connected May 9, the US Securities and Exchange Commission is investigating statements made by Boeing Co. astir its information practices aft a mid-air sheet blowout connected a 737 MAX formation successful January.

The SEC volition analyse whether the planemaker oregon its executives misled investors successful usurpation of the Wall Street regulator's rules, the study said, citing 3 radical acquainted with the development.

May 14

Boeing has violated a colony that allowed the institution to debar transgression prosecution aft 2 deadly crashes involving its 737 Max craft much than 5 years ago, the Justice Department told a national judge.

It is present up to the Justice Department (DOJ) to determine whether to record charges against Boeing. Prosecutors volition archer the tribunal nary aboriginal than July 7 however they program to proceed, the section said.

May 21

One idiosyncratic died and others were injured connected a formation from London to Singapore which plummeted 6,000ft successful 5 minutes before making an exigency landing in Thailand.

The Boeing 777 level operated by Singapore Airlines near the UK's Heathrow airdrome connected Monday evening astatine 22.17pm section clip with 211 passengers and 18 unit connected board.

However, formation SQ321 experienced terrible turbulence portion flying adjacent to Myanmar airspace successful a portion being battered by utmost tropical thunderstorms.

After astir 11 hours of flying clip from instrumentality disconnected successful London, the craft sharply dropped from an altitude of astir 37,000 feet to 31,000 feet wrong conscionable 5 minutes arsenic it finished traversing the Andaman Sea and neared Thailand.

Boeing said: 'We are successful interaction with Singapore Airlines regarding formation SQ321 and basal acceptable to enactment them.

'We widen our deepest condolences to the household who mislaid a loved one, and our thoughts are with the passengers and crew.'