Ms. Lund's appointment as senior vice president of quality for commercial planes occurred in February of this year, following a critical incident involving a mid-air panel blowout on an Alaska Airlines 737 MAX 9 on January 5. Her expertise and leadership were instrumental in addressing this crisis and ensuring the highest standards of quality and safety across Boeing's commercial aircraft operations.
In June, the National Transportation Safety Board reported that Boeing had breached investigation protocols when Lund shared non-public information with the media and speculated on potential causes of the incident. Consequently, the agency prohibited Boeing from accessing information generated during its investigation.
In January, Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) chief Mike Whitaker took the unusual step of halting Boeing's expansion of 737 MAX production until he is assured that the company has made substantial quality improvements.
Boeing has been executing a quality plan submitted to the FAA in May as it seeks to gain approval for increased 737 MAX production.
Doug Ackerman, who has been serving as vice president of Supply Chain and Fabrication Quality and has played a role in the quality plan, will succeed Lund.
Last month, the FAA announced a new safety review of Boeing, focusing on aspects such as risk assessment quality, resource allocation, and compliance with regulatory standards. This review is anticipated to last three months.
Additionally, in October, the Transportation Department's Office of Inspector General criticized the FAA's oversight of Boeing, indicating that the agency lacks an effective system to monitor the planemaker's individual manufacturing facilities.
An FAA audit of Boeing completed in February identified 97 instances of noncompliance, highlighting issues related to Boeing's manufacturing process control, parts handling and storage, and product control.
Whitaker recently indicated that Boeing's enhancements in safety culture could require three to five years for full implementation. In June, he admitted that the agency had been "too hands-off" in its oversight of Boeing before January.
Last week, Whitaker discussed with Boeing CEO Kelly Ortberg the company's intentions to restart 737 MAX production after a 53-day strike.
During an NTSB hearing in August, Lund mentioned that the manufacturer was developing design modifications that they aimed to implement within the year, with plans to retrofit the entire fleet to avert future incidents.