Aviation expert says Boeing needs to take 'bulldozer to entire board' after resignation of CEO and warns its flaw-plagued planes are now 10 years behind rival Airbus' offerings

An aviation expert has said that Boeing need to 'bulldoze their entire board' as the beleaguered airline continues to battle with an ongoing safety crisis.

The company has been hit by problems including a near-catastrophic incident in  January when a fuselage panel on a 737 MAX 9 Alaska Airlines jet blew off mid-flight.

Since then, the company has faced questions following several other potentially dangerous episodes.

Speaking to The Free Press, airplane expert Mike Boyd criticized the company for losing its way, with multiple critics saying Boeing went wrong after it began to prioritize profits over engineering excellence.

He told the outlet: 'Instead of building airplanes, all they cared about was building the bottom line. They threw the MAX together at the last minute.

Speaking to The Free Press , airplane expert Mike Boyd, seen here, criticized the company for losing its way

Boyd added that safety issues are only part of the problem, and that Airbus, their main competitor, are now ten years ahead of them. 

He said: '[Boeing] has nothing on the drawing boards. Firing a few executives isn’t going to change Boeing. What they need to do is take a bulldozer to the entire board of directors.'

Boyd has previously worked for clients as an expert in aviation issues for the likes of Delta Air Lines, American Airlines and Southwest Airlines. 

He suggested that he wouldn't feel comfortable flying on any plane that's emerged from Boeing's plant in Charleston, South Carolina, where the 787 Dreamliner is made.

On Monday, it was announced that CEO Dave Calhoun would step down at the end of the year in a management overhaul at the company. 

Calhoun plus the chairman of the board and the head of its commercial airlines business are all leaving. 

Following the door plug blowing off the Alaska Airlines flight, investigators said the bolts to keep the panel in place were missing after repair work at a Boeing facility.

Federal regulators then put a limit on the production of 737s and found a series of problems after an inspection at Boeing facilities. 

The Department of Justice opened its criminal investigation into the incident, with investigators contacting passengers saying they may have been the victim of crime.

Earlier this month, roughly 50 people were treated for injuries after a Boeing 787 flying from Australia to New Zealand experienced a 'technical event'. 

On Monday, it was announced that Boeing CEO Dave Calhoun, seen here in January,  would step down at the end of the year 

There were no serious injuries from the terrifying air failure, but passenger's belongings including phones flew out of the aircraft

That caused the plane to plunge which jolted passengers in their seats, the company told airlines to start inspecting switches on pilots' seats after a report said an accidental cockpit seat movement caused the incident.

Shortly before that incident, Boeing said the technical failure involving the door stemmed from something that occurred during production. 

The company said that required documents detailed the removal of a key part that failed were never created.

All of this comes after Boeing whistleblower John Barnett was found dead from in his truck in a hotel parking lot in South Carolina, seven years after retiring. 

The 62-year-old was found in his truck in a hotel parking lot in South Carolina, - seven years after he retired following a 32-year career with Boeing.

Barnett's death came during a whistleblower suit, where he alleged under-pressure workers were deliberately fitting sub-standard parts to aircraft on the assembly line.

Barnett's death came during a whistleblower suit, where he alleged under-pressure workers were deliberately fitting sub-standard parts to aircraft on the assembly line. 

The LATAM Airlines Boeing 787 Dreamliner plane that suddenly lost altitude mid-flight, dropping violently and injuring dozens of travelers , is seen on the tarmac of the Auckland International Airport on March 12, 2024

The 62-year-old was found in his truck in a hotel parking lot in South Carolina, - seven years after he retired following a 32-year career with Boeing

Barnett had alleged that second-rate parts were literally removed from scrap bins, before being fitted to planes that were being built to prevent delays.

A 2017 review by the FAA upheld some of his concerns, requiring Boeing to take action.

He had just given a deposition to Boeing's lawyers for the case in the week before his passing, his attorney Brian Knowles said.

The Charleston County coroner, meanwhile, confirmed last week that the longtime Boeing staffer died while in town for interviews linked to the case.

Boeing also responded to the former worker's death in their own statement as news spread, saying it was 'saddened by Mr. Barnett's passing.'

The statement did not address any aspects of the case, but ultimately added: 'Our thoughts are with his family and friends.'

Barnett's job for 32 years was overseeing production standards for the firm's planes - standards he said were not met during his four years at the then-new plant in Charleston from 2010 to 2014. 

'The new leadership didn't understand processes,' Barnett told Corporate Crime Reporter in an interview in 2019 of how brass allegedly cut corners to get their then state-of-the-art 7878s out on time.

Barnett claimed he alerted superiors at the plant about his misgivings, but no action was ever taken. Boeing denied this, as well as his claims.

A 2017 review by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) went on to stand up some of Barnett's qualms, including finding that at least 53 'non-conforming' parts - as they put it - were misplaced, and considered lost.