Current:Home > MyBoeing shows feds its plan to fix aircraft safety 4 months after midair blowout-InfoLens
Boeing shows feds its plan to fix aircraft safety 4 months after midair blowout
View Date:2024-12-23 16:10:47
Boeing told federal regulators Thursday how it plans to fix the safety and quality problems that have plagued its aircraft-manufacturing work in recent years.
The Federal Aviation Administration required the company to produce a turnaround plan after one of its jetliners suffered a blowout of a fuselage panel during an Alaska Airlines flight in January.
"Today, we reviewed Boeing's roadmap to set a new standard of safety and underscored that they must follow through on corrective actions and effectively transform their safety culture," FAA Administrator Mike Whitaker said after he met with senior company leaders. ""On the FAA's part, we will make sure they do and that their fixes are effective. This does not mark the end of our increased oversight of Boeing and its suppliers, but it sets a new standard of how Boeing does business," he added
Nobody was hurt during the midair incident on relatively new Boeing 737 Max 9. Accident investigators determined that bolts that helped secure the panel to the frame of the plane were missing before the piece blew off. The mishap has further battered Boeing's reputation and led to multiple civil and criminal investigations.
Accusations of safety shortcuts
Whistleblowers have accused the company of taking shortcuts that endanger passengers, a claim that Boeing disputes. A panel convened by the FAA found shortcomings in the aircraft maker's safety culture.
In late February, Whitaker gave Boeing 90 days to come up with a plan to improve quality and ease the agency's safety concerns.
- Whistleblower at key Boeing supplier dies after sudden illness
- Boeing whistleblower John Barnett died by suicide, police investigation concludes
The FAA limited Boeing production of the 737 Max, its best-selling plane, after the close call involving the Alaska Airlines jetliner. Whitaker said the cap will remain in place until his agency is satisfied Boeing is making progress.
Over the last three months, the FAA conducted 30- and 60-day check-ins with Boeing officials, according to a statement from the agency. The purpose of the check-ins was to ensure Boeing had a clear understanding of regulators' expectations and that it was fulfilling mid- and long-term actions they set forth by the FAA. These actions include:
- Strengthening its Safety Management System, including employee safety reporting
- Simplifying processes and procedures and clarifying work instructions
- Enhanced supplier oversight
- Enhanced employee training and communication
- Increased internal audits of production system
Potential criminal charges
Boeing's recent problems could expose it to criminal prosecution related to the deadly crashes of two Max jetliners in 2018 and 2019. The Justice Department said two weeks ago that Boeing violated terms of a 2021 settlement that allowed it to avoid prosecution for fraud. The charge was based on the company allegedly deceiving regulators about a flight-control system that was implicated in the crashes.
Most of the recent problems have been related to the Max, however Boeing and key supplier Spirit AeroSystems have also struggled with manufacturing flaws on a larger plane, the 787 Dreamliner. Boeing has suffered setbacks on other programs including its Starliner space capsule, a military refueling tanker, and new Air Force One presidential jets.
Boeing officials have vowed to regain the trust of regulators and the flying public. Boeing has fallen behind rival Airbus, and production setbacks have hurt the company's ability to generate cash.
The company says it is reducing "traveled work" — assembly tasks that are done out of their proper chronological order — and keeping closer tabs on Spirit AeroSystems.
- In:
- Plane Crash
- Federal Aviation Administration
veryGood! (9)
Related
- The Office's Kate Flannery Defends John Krasinski's Sexiest Man Alive Win
- New US-Mexico agreement to monitor foreign investments comes as more Chinese money flows into Mexico
- High-profile attacks on Derek Chauvin and Larry Nassar put spotlight on violence in federal prisons
- The Surprising Reason Meryl Streep Almost Didn't Get Cast in The Devil Wears Prada
- Man gets a life sentence in the shotgun death of a New Mexico police officer
- 14 Can't Miss Sales Happening This Weekend From Coach to Walmart & So Much More
- 'He never made it': Search continues for Iowa truck driver who went missing hauling pigs
- Charlie Sheen Reveals He's Nearly 6 Years Sober
- Pennsylvania House Republicans pick new floor leader after failing to regain majority
- Tarte Cosmetics 24-Hour Flash Deal, Get $212 Worth of Makeup for Just $60
Ranking
- Patrick Mahomes Breaks Silence on Frustrating Robbery Amid Ongoing Investigation
- App stop working? Here's how to easily force quit on your Mac or iPhone
- Rhode Island lawmakers and advocates working to address soaring housing costs
- A Jan. 6 rioter praised Vivek Ramaswamy at his sentencing for suggesting riot was an ‘inside job’
- What happens to Donald Trump’s criminal conviction? Here are a few ways it could go
- Dutch police arrest a Syrian accused of sexual violence and other crimes in Syria’s civil war
- Adults can now legally possess and grow marijuana in Ohio — but there’s nowhere to buy it
- Labor union asks federal regulators to oversee South Carolina workplace safety program
Recommendation
-
Steelers shoot for the moon ball, but will offense hold up or wilt in brutal final stretch?
-
Houston has a population that’s young. Its next mayor, set to be elected in a runoff, won’t be
-
Lithium at California's Salton Sea could power millions of electric vehicles: Report
-
Live updates | Palestinians live in dire human conditions in Gaza despite Israel’s safe zone
-
Brianna LaPaglia Addresses Zach Bryan's Deafening Silence After Emotional Abuse Allegations
-
Drought vs deluge: Florida’s unusual rainfall totals either too little or too much on each coast
-
House censures Rep. Jamaal Bowman for falsely pulling fire alarm
-
University of Michigan launches new effort to fight antisemitism