Current:Home > BackFAA investigates Boeing for falsified records on some 787 Dreamliners-InfoLens
FAA investigates Boeing for falsified records on some 787 Dreamliners
View Date:2024-12-23 19:29:21
After being notified by Boeing that some company employees failed to complete specific inspections on some 787 Dreamliners but reported the checks as having been completed, essentially falsifying inspection records, the Federal Aviation Administration has opened a formal investigation.
The inspections verify there is adequate bonding and grounding of the fasteners connecting the wings to the fuselage. The test aims to confirm that the plane is properly grounded against electrical currents like a lightning strike.
A source familiar with the situation puts the potential number of aircraft involved as approximately 450, including around 60 aircraft still within Boeing's production system.
The planes still in Boeing's possession are being re-inspected, according to the FAA. A source briefed on the situation says Boeing engineers made an assessment that there is not an immediate safety issue because the 787 was built with multiple redundancies to protect against events like a lightning strike.
"As the investigation continues, the FAA will take any necessary action – as always – to ensure the safety of the flying public," an FAA spokesman said in a statement to CBS News.
Boeing notified employees of the situation last Monday in an email from Scott Stocker, the vice president and general manager of the 787 program. The email, obtained by CBS News, says that Boeing's engineering team has "assessed that this misconduct did not create an immediate safety of flight issue."
Stocker credited a Boeing South Carolina worker for spotting the issue and reporting it.
"The teammate saw what appeared to be an irregularity in a required conformance test in wing body join. He raised it with his manager, who brought it to the attention of executive leadership," Stocker wrote. "After receiving the report, we quickly reviewed the matter and learned that several people had been violating Company policies by not performing a required test, but recording the work as having been completed."
Stocker told employees that Boeing has "zero tolerance for not following processes designed to ensure quality and safety" and that the company is "taking swift and serious corrective action with multiple teammates."
That email comes less than two weeks after a Boeing quality engineer testified before a Senate sub-committee about concerns he says he raised about the production of the 787 Dreamliner that were dismissed by management.
Boeing declined to discuss specific numbers of aircraft involved, as it said it was still gathering information about the situation, but a potential population in the hundreds would indicate a situation that potentially had been going on for a significant period of time.
At this point the FAA has not determined there is, in a fact, a safety issue with the 787 or a shortcoming in the production process. Currently, the FAA has not determined there is not an immediate safety issue with Dreamliners currently in service.
The FAA investigation was first reported by the Wall Street Journal.
- In:
- Boeing
- Boeing 787
Kris Van Cleave is CBS News' senior transportation and national correspondent based in Phoenix.
TwitterveryGood! (38)
Related
- Katharine Hayhoe’s Post-Election Advice: Fight Fear, Embrace Hope and Work Together
- Judge asked to dismiss claims against police over killing of mentally ill woman armed with shotgun
- Aaron Donald, Rams great and three-time NFL Defensive Player of Year, retires at 32
- When is the Boston St. Patrick's Day parade? 2024 route, time, how to watch and stream
- A pregnant woman sues for the right to an abortion in challenge to Kentucky’s near-total ban
- Weekly ski trip turns into overnight ordeal when about 50 women get stranded in bus during snowstorm
- The 10 Best Backless Bras That Stay Hidden and *Actually* Give You Support
- Aaron Donald was a singularly spectacular player. The NFL will never see another like him.
- Voters in California city reject measure allowing noncitizens to vote in local races
- As spring homebuying season kicks off, a NAR legal settlement could shrink realtor commissions
Ranking
- Trump pledged to roll back protections for transgender students. They’re flooding crisis hotlines
- Kelly Ripa’s Trainer Anna Kaiser Wants You to Put Down the Ozempic and Do This to Stay Fit
- Target is pulling back on self-checkout, limiting service to people with 10 items or fewer
- College Football Playoffs new six-year contract starting in 2026 opens door to expansion
- Biden, Harris participate in Veterans Day ceremony | The Excerpt
- New bill seeks to strengthen bribery statute after Sen. Menendez accused of taking gold bars, cash for official acts
- The Supreme Court won’t intervene in a dispute over drag shows at a public university in Texas
- Early morning shooting at an Indianapolis bar kills 1 person and injures 5, report says
Recommendation
-
New Yorkers vent their feelings over the election and the Knicks via subway tunnel sticky notes
-
Squid Game Star O Yeong-su Found Guilty of Sexual Misconduct
-
Man, woman arrested in connection to dead baby found in Florida trash bin
-
Tennis Star Andre Agassi Applauds the Evolving Conversation About Mental Health in Sports
-
Ben Affleck and His Son Samuel, 12, Enjoy a Rare Night Out Together
-
Prosecutors in Chicago charge man with stabbing ex-girlfriend’s 11-year-old son to death
-
'Baywatch' star Nicole Eggert shaves her head with her daughter's help amid cancer battle
-
Former Tesla worker settles discrimination case, ending appeals over lowered $3.2 million verdict