[ARCHIVED THREAD] - Boeing Suspends Chinook Production (Page 1 of 2)
Posted: 5/14/2008 3:20:54 AM EDT
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From today's Boeing News: Boeing suspends Chinook production Boeing suspended the Chinook production line today, following the discovery of two procedural anomalies found on two CH-47Fs in the latter stages of production. Following standard procedures, Boeing ceased production operations immediately and notified appropriate government authorities. "Nothing is more critical than the integrity and quality of our products," said Dan Meyer, Philadelphia site executive, in an e-mail message to the Chinook production team. "The reputation of our enterprise, and of every employee here, rests on the safety, reliability and operational capabilities of the military rotorcraft we produce to support the courageous men and women of the U.S. Armed Forces and our allies." An investigation into the situation is under way. |
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More: Boeing plant halts Chinook production Philadelphia Inquirer 05/14/2008 Author: Maria Panaritis Boeing Co. abruptly shut down production of Chinook helicopters at its Ridley Township plant yesterday and summoned a U.S. Army investigative team after the company detected "possible manufacturing irregularities" in two of the combat helicopters, which cost up to $30 million apiece. More than 100 Boeing workers were dismissed at midday, and hundreds of others on the evening shift reported to work only to assist with inspections. All assembly work was halted. The problems were detected in a new Chinook model - CH-47F - that has not yet been deployed to combat zones. The company, during a routine inspection, became concerned about two aircraft in final stages of completion, Boeing spokesman Joseph L. LaMarca Jr. said. Army investigators with the Defense Contract Management Agency were on their way last night to the Boeing Rotorcraft Division to inspect the two helicopters in question, LaMarca said. The Army had notified the FBI as a matter of course, he said, but the bureau was not involved in the probe. When asked if the investigation was criminal in nature, LaMarca replied: "We don't know that at this point." U.S. Rep. Joe Sestak, whose district includes the plant, said officials had told him wires that appeared to be broken or severed were found in one helicopter. He also said a washer was found in a second. [This doesn't sound good] It was unclear how long the assembly line - the only one for Chinooks in the United States - would remain off-line. "It was determined that an investigation needed to be launched to make sure that this was an isolated incident," LaMarca said. The aircraft at issue are part of a long-term Boeing Army contract for 458 Chinook CH-47F models and MH-47G models through 2018. Some are being built from scratch and others are being "remanufactured" using recycled D-model Chinook parts on a new fuselage. The contract is part of an effort to modernize the Army's Chinook fleet. The helicopter's tandem rotor and lack of a tail rotor make it ideal for combat in high-altitude regions, such as the mountains of Afghanistan and Iraq. The apparent irregularities that prompted the shutdown were in two of the F models, LaMarca said. He would not describe what sort of irregularities had been detected in the two Chinook CH-47F helicopters in question, and said the company did not believe there was a problem with helicopters already delivered. The irregularities were detected by Boeing quality-assurance staff on an assembly line that had eight helicopters in various stages of production. "We check these helicopters over from head to toe to make sure everything is done to specification so that we provide the safest, most reliable helicopter," LaMarca said. The helicopters cost between $20 million and $30 million each. |
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... Block III Apaches will no longer have wire-splice junctions in the IEFAB bays - a headache for any military aircraft ... FOD is, well FOD. Ain't nothing gonna fix that other than discipline. I'd imagine Ridley Park production lines will be moving again soon after a level III CAR and QDR is issued by the customer and satisfactorily answered by the contractor ... My question, was the point of discovery post DIT-MCO? |
I've seen everything how - clothes lines on the side of a helicopter! 
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Seems odd after finding some bare wires and a washer. I understand aviation, but I'm curious about the whole manufacturing and business process. Could you elaborate sone of the blued portions? BTW, don't go digging around a C-5A; you'll find all that crap and more. |
No wonder why, here are two seperate pictures from two different people where the blades stopped working in mid-air. RR |
You're crazy...those are handlebars for people to hang on to the sides when the cabin is full... |
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You don't dimiss all your employee's from a particular shift, call the Army telling them to get there right away, and the FBI getting a phone call with out a major suspicion of sabotage. I am glad that they caught the problem and will be able to check the helicopters out before they entered service. Sounds like someone is probably going to go to jail. |
| hiding accidentally cut wires is not sabotage per se, but the end results are similar. And a worker being too lazy to go pick up a dropped washer is understandable. But depending on where they were cut and/or dropped? Finding 2 (or more) questionable events on a production line is definitely worth a look see, but calling in the dogs like this? Yeah, I think that jail is on the horizon. I wonder who' called in sick the next day. |
If this IS deliberate someone need to spend a long time considering the results of their actions in the Big House with Bars… Boeing shuts down Chinook production line in Pennsylvania By KIMBERLY HEFLING – 13 hours ago WASHINGTON (AP) — Army criminal investigators are looking into damage to two military helicopters on a production line at a Boeing Co. plant in suburban Philadelphia, prompting the company to shut down the line. Rep. Joe Sestak, a Democrat whose district includes the plant, said Wednesday he was told that wires that appeared to be broken or severed were found in one helicopter and a suspicious washer was found in a second. There is a "low probability that it was not deliberate," Sestak said, but he added that unintentional damage remains a possibility. Sestak said he has communicated with company and union officials at the plant and was told the investigation could take two weeks. The company didn't disclose specifics about why it shut down the H-47 Chinook line Tuesday at the Boeing Rotorcraft Systems plant in Ridley Township, Pa. About 60 workers stayed home on Wednesday and the company said no decision has been made on whether they would be asked to return to work on Thursday. Dave Foster, an Army spokesman, said in an e-mail that normal production was expected to resume shortly. "At present, this is thought to be an isolated incident, confined to these two aircraft," Foster said. He said the Defense Contract Management Agency was overseeing the situation. All aircraft at the plant were being inspected, said Jack Satterfield, a company spokesman. He said the shutdown was isolated to one line at the plant and did not affect helicopters the military is already using. Satterfield said the problems were found by two production employees who notified management. The Defense Criminal Investigative Service had agents on the premises conducting interviews, said Gary Comerford, a spokesman for the agency. Army Criminal Investigation Command spokesman Christopher Grey confirmed the agency was also involved in the investigation, but said he could not comment on it. The Chinook is known as the Army's workhorse aircraft. It is used to transport troops and supplies. Boeing is currently producing new Chinooks for the Army as well as updating older models. http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5iHdCjTtUov_LjYC5YwjuFyZ9AcVwD90LL73O0 |
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Best way to find out is to checl out the F's that have already been delivered to the Army and see if they have the same problems. If they do, then it's probably a manufacturing problem (someone cutting corners, someone found an easier way to do something, an accepted practice for the previous H-47 manufacturing line). It will be real easy to pinpoint who, when and where. The hard part will be proving it. |
Bravo November is still clattering around, she's in Afghanistan currently. She's had a charmed life, during the Falkands War she flew into the sea at 100kts during a snow storm and bounced off with only some minor damage. IIRC, she's been in every theatre UK forces have deployed in since 1982. |
Google is your friend.  Improved Extended Avionics Bay (IEFAB) Level III Corrective Action Requests (level III CAR) Data Information Test - Material Checkout (DIT-MCO) LEVEL III CAR Serious non-compliances to contractor top mgmt Gov’t may pursue contractual remedies Coordination w/ ACO & Cmdr prior to issuance Issued by Team Leader or above Copy buying activity & cognizant Gov’t ofc at prime as applicable Contractor immediately placed on the CAL until C/A is verified and CAR closed out |
... Correct, thank you KA3B And to expand further: DIT-MCO: Is a system widely used in military aircraft assembly at the time all systems are integrated and supposedly functioning. It is usually the first electrical test when everything is plugged in so to speak. IEFABs: Is the acronym you identified but is unique to the Apache Longbow (Block II and above). Other military aircraft typically have an electronics/avionics suites or bays equivalency that houses major fire-controls, radios, computers and such. Level III CARs: Level III Corrective Action Requests are conventionally preceded by a sever or chronic Quality Deficiency Report or QDR. These are generally issued by Defense Contract Management Agency (DCMA) representatives for serious, contract-threatening conditions (sever quality non-conformances, asset management, process deviations, sub-contractor control, product substitution and such). They require a complete formal cause-analysis with research that bounds the problem and forms a solution to resolve it. Subsequent corrective-action plan (interim and long-term preventive action) accompanied with a business-case, risk/cost analysis and a schedule and performance metrics ... This is what I would be doing for a living all day yesterday and today if I didn't had a nasty case of the flu-bug and staying home. Not necessarily the Chinook case, but similar. Hey, it pays the bills
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Cool operational anecdotes!  Minor update from last nights local news. Two Boeing assembly line employees were the ones who discovered the initial damage (cut wires), and immediately reported it to QA/security/management. A line shut-down and check of all other airframes at the facility resulted in the discovery of the 'washer' in another aircraft, implied in the report was that it was not a type of washer used in the manufacture of this aircraft. News has reported that this is considered to be deliberate sabotage, and will be prosecuted as such. FBI and Army CID are on site, all shifts suspended from work. Edited for minor correction. 
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almost twice the capacity it was meant to handle. Its one outstanding aircraft.
... As severe as sabotage is, I cannot understand why they would go after wiring. Wiring problems spring up all over, all the time and are typically easy to isolate and rework/repair/replace. As for the non-flightworthy washer found, I would extend the search to GSE, PGSE special and hand tooling, my guess is that is where it originated ... Saboteurs don't leave washers "laying around" in hopes of doing damage. Lastly, I'm doubtful any of this is deliberate. There are no major union disputes, layoffs or grievances now. Labor in Philadelphia plant are relatively happy now, why would they bite the hand that feeds them? ... Seasoned observation: Overreaction |
Interesting. I just had lunch with someone that just left Boeing Philly and we specifically discussed this Chinook situation. Her comment was: "There's a bunch of pissed off union labor there." The conversation moved onto other topics like the protested CSAR program and I never heard why she said it. Just what I heard not one hour ago. Merlin |
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UPDATE: confirmed vandalization.... Chinook UPdate Makes me sick to think someone would try to harm our Soldiers. |
 Lovely. Take the fuckers up to 5000 feet and push them out.
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When they find them, let these guys take care of them. www.youtube.com/watch?v=KK_dMnZmwq0 |
Whats the difference between "union" hell and the regular one? For all you know, it could be the illegal alien cleaning staff they probably use. If a union worker, there's not a union around that'll save his ass or even attempt to. |
Every outfit has their own misguided people, the unions are no exception. They cannot see far enough ahead that the consequences of their actions may result in US Military deaths. Its those I was referring to, and in that hell, they get put in a confined space with a barbed dicked demon with a penchant for buggery. |
As I recall, this isn't the first time this has happened, although the previous case I recall was in Renton on the 737 commercial line. Don't recall the details other than it was wire related. Maybe someone in Seattle remembers the case, it was about 10-15 years ago. Merlin |
It's the unofficial name for the thing... And they are a pretty shitty aircraft to maintain... Flying them must be fun, though... Lots-o-power in that bird.... |
Highly unlikely that they are 'AQ Agents'... More likely pissed off union fucks or anti-war activists.... Between the FBI and CID, someone's ass is going in a really big sling... Wires on aircraft DO NOT cut themselves.... |
As if the unions needed any more bad PR. Doing something that could result in dead soldiers is reprehensible. How many accidents that we know about have not been "accidents?" Damn. |
I'd love to help out with pics but I don't have anything in my laptop right now and I'm doing a no flying AT  I did get to fly the simulator today though Maybe things have changed but I think this must be an isolated incident. I toured the the F model line and the Osprey line last year and the workers all seemed pretty happy and motivated. Everyone there I talked to was really helpful and seemed to enjoy what they did. I've been through the Big 3s plants and it was nothing like them attitude wise. |