WASHINGTON, Jan 15 (Reuters) - Boeing will add further quality inspections for the 737 MAX after an accident earlier this month where a fuselage panel was blown off an airplane, the head of its commercial airplanes division said Monday.

The planemaker will also deploy a team to supplier Spirit AeroSystems - which makes and installs the plug door involved in the incident - to check and approve Spirit's work before fuselages are sent to Boeing's production facilities in Washington state, Stan Deal, president of Boeing Commercial Airplanes, said in a letter to Boeing employees. (Reporting by Valerie Insinna Editing by Bernadette Baum)