U.S. Army Grounds Upgraded Boeing Copters on Inspection Doubts
- Service opens a broad review of quality procedures at plant
- Boeing reported the problem of inadequate inspections to Army
A Boeing Co. AH-64E Apache helicopter.
Photographer: Carla Gottgens/BloombergThis article is for subscribers only.
The U.S. Army has grounded 12 upgraded Apache AH-64 helicopters while it conducts a review of quality procedures at a Boeing Co. plant after the contractor alerted the service to improperly performed inspections, according to officials.
A technician who has since been dismissed “failed to perform required process control checks that ensure testing equipment functions properly and provides reliable results,” according to an Army document sent to Congress that was obtained by Bloomberg News. “As a result, this employee’s inspection results cannot be trusted for accuracy.”