Boeing Fires 737 MAX Program Chief

Boeing decided the buck stopped with Ed Clark.

The 18-year Boeing veteran and head of the troubled 737 MAX jet program was unceremoniously sacked, effective yesterday.

The firing comes after the fallout from a harrowing Alaska Airlines flight on January 5 in which an unused door plug blew out of a 737 MAX fuselage in midair. Subsequent investigations revealed that key bolts had been missing from the door plug.

The aircraft’s detached door plug later turned up in the backyard of a Portland, Oregon, home.

There were no fatalities, but previous 737 MAX jet incidents were deadly: 346 people were killed within six months when two MAX jets crashed in 2018 and 2019.

Clark had been in his leadership role since 2021, and one can't help but wonder what kind of payout he'll leave with. In 2020, former Boeing CEO Dennis Muilenburg exited with a $62 million golden parachute upon his termination. 

Clark's announced replacement is Katie Ringgold, who has assumed Clark’s former role of vice president and general manager of the 737 program.