Boeing is replacing the head of its 737 Max program at the company’s Renton, Washington, facility as it deals with the fallout from an incident involving a Max 9 jet that lost a door plug mid-flight earlier this year.
Ed Clark, who has led the Max program since 2021, will be replaced by Katie Ringgold, Boeing Commercial Airplanes chief Stan Deal told staff in an email Wednesday.
It’s one of several leadership changes that Deal said he is making as the company continues to drive “BCA’s [Boeing Commercial Airplanes] enhanced focus on ensuring that every airplane we deliver meets or exceeds all quality and safety requirements.”
The move comes more than a month after a Max 9, operated by Alaska Airlines, had a door plug blow out after taking off from Portland International Airport in Oregon, resulting in a temporary nationwide grounding of all Max 9s with door plugs.
In a preliminary report, the National Transportation Safety Board discovered four key bolts missing from the door plug that fell off the jet.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.