Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility
Boeing Tells Federal Regulators How It Plans to Fix Aircraft Safety and Quality Problems
gvw_ap_news
By Associated Press
Published 8 months ago on
May 30, 2024

Boeing presents a plan to federal regulators to address safety and quality issues in its aircraft manufacturing. The plan comes after a series of mishaps and investigations into the company's practices. (AP File)

Share

Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

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. In late February, FAA Administrator Mike Whitaker gave Boeing 90 days to come up with a plan to improve quality and ease the agency’s safety concerns.

“This is a guide for a new way for Boeing to do business,” Whitaker said after he met with Boeing CEO David Calhoun and other senior company leaders Thursday. Boeing has laid out a road map, “now they need to execute.”

Boeing’s Troubles: From Missing Bolts to Criminal Prosecution

Nobody was hurt during January’s incident on a relatively new Boeing 737 Max 9 as the plane flew above Oregon. 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.

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.

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.

Whistleblowers have accused the company of taking shortcuts that endanger passengers, a claim that Boeing disputes. A panel convened by the FAA prior to the blowout found shortcomings in the aircraft maker’s safety culture.

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.

FAA’s Increased Oversight: More Inspectors and Inspection Points

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.

The FAA has put more inspectors inside Boeing and Spirit AeroSystems plants and created more inspection points since the Alaska Airlines blowout, according to Whitaker. He acknowledged it’s not certain whether more inspectors would have prevented the blowout but said more eyes would have improved the chances of catching mistakes.

RELATED TOPICS:

DON'T MISS

Feeling’s Mutual: Rams Rookie Jared Verse Already Feeling Ire From Eagles Fans on Social Media

DON'T MISS

Ravens and Bills Lost Plenty of Talent Last Offseason, but Stayed in Super Bowl Contention

DON'T MISS

Mahomes and Kelce Help Chiefs to 23-14 Win Over Texans and Another AFC Title Game Trip

DON'T MISS

Governor Newsom Negotiates Mortgage Relief for LA Firestorm Victims

DON'T MISS

Fresno Women’s Celebration Host People’s March on January 18th

DON'T MISS

Homes Were Burning and Roads Already Jammed When Pacific Palisades Evacuation Order Came, AP Finds

DON'T MISS

On LA Fire Lines, Inmates Shoulder Heavy Packs and Tackle Dangerous Work for Less Than $30 a Day

DON'T MISS

Trump Says He ‘Most Likely’ Will Give TikTok a 90-Day Extension to Avoid US Ban

DON'T MISS

Maria Chiquita Proves Three Legs Are Just as Good as Four

DON'T MISS

TikTok Says It Will ‘Go Dark’ Unless It Gets Clarity From Biden Following Supreme Court Ruling

UP NEXT

Ravens and Bills Lost Plenty of Talent Last Offseason, but Stayed in Super Bowl Contention

UP NEXT

Mahomes and Kelce Help Chiefs to 23-14 Win Over Texans and Another AFC Title Game Trip

UP NEXT

Governor Newsom Negotiates Mortgage Relief for LA Firestorm Victims

UP NEXT

Fresno Women’s Celebration Host People’s March on January 18th

UP NEXT

Homes Were Burning and Roads Already Jammed When Pacific Palisades Evacuation Order Came, AP Finds

UP NEXT

On LA Fire Lines, Inmates Shoulder Heavy Packs and Tackle Dangerous Work for Less Than $30 a Day

UP NEXT

Trump Says He ‘Most Likely’ Will Give TikTok a 90-Day Extension to Avoid US Ban

UP NEXT

Maria Chiquita Proves Three Legs Are Just as Good as Four

UP NEXT

TikTok Says It Will ‘Go Dark’ Unless It Gets Clarity From Biden Following Supreme Court Ruling

UP NEXT

Ceasefire Between Israel and Hamas Will Go Into Effect Sunday Morning, Officials Say

Governor Newsom Negotiates Mortgage Relief for LA Firestorm Victims

7 hours ago

Fresno Women’s Celebration Host People’s March on January 18th

7 hours ago

Homes Were Burning and Roads Already Jammed When Pacific Palisades Evacuation Order Came, AP Finds

10 hours ago

On LA Fire Lines, Inmates Shoulder Heavy Packs and Tackle Dangerous Work for Less Than $30 a Day

12 hours ago

Trump Says He ‘Most Likely’ Will Give TikTok a 90-Day Extension to Avoid US Ban

12 hours ago

Maria Chiquita Proves Three Legs Are Just as Good as Four

13 hours ago

TikTok Says It Will ‘Go Dark’ Unless It Gets Clarity From Biden Following Supreme Court Ruling

14 hours ago

Ceasefire Between Israel and Hamas Will Go Into Effect Sunday Morning, Officials Say

14 hours ago

Tens of Thousands Expected to Converge on Washington for March Days Before Trump Takes Office

14 hours ago

Trump Arrives in Washington for Inaugural Celebrations Marking Return to Power

14 hours ago

Feeling’s Mutual: Rams Rookie Jared Verse Already Feeling Ire From Eagles Fans on Social Media

LOS ANGELES — Los Angeles Rams outside linebacker Jared Verse expects a cold reception in frigid Philadelphia on Sunday after sharing his di...

5 hours ago

5 hours ago

Feeling’s Mutual: Rams Rookie Jared Verse Already Feeling Ire From Eagles Fans on Social Media

5 hours ago

Ravens and Bills Lost Plenty of Talent Last Offseason, but Stayed in Super Bowl Contention

6 hours ago

Mahomes and Kelce Help Chiefs to 23-14 Win Over Texans and Another AFC Title Game Trip

FILE - California Gov. Gavin Newsom speaks during a press conference in Los Angeles, Wednesday, Sept. 25, 2024. (AP Photo/Eric Thayer, File)
7 hours ago

Governor Newsom Negotiates Mortgage Relief for LA Firestorm Victims

7 hours ago

Fresno Women’s Celebration Host People’s March on January 18th

10 hours ago

Homes Were Burning and Roads Already Jammed When Pacific Palisades Evacuation Order Came, AP Finds

12 hours ago

On LA Fire Lines, Inmates Shoulder Heavy Packs and Tackle Dangerous Work for Less Than $30 a Day

12 hours ago

Trump Says He ‘Most Likely’ Will Give TikTok a 90-Day Extension to Avoid US Ban

Help continue the work that gets you the news that matters most.

Search

Send this to a friend