Since the advent of passenger planes The door was blown off In early January, aircraft manufacturer Boeing Co. came under heightened scrutiny. Now, a new report from the Federal Aviation Administration has raised questions about the plane manufacturer’s safety procedures, calling them “insufficient.”
this ReportThe bill, released on Monday, was originally required by Congress in 2023 as part of legislative efforts to strengthen safety in the aviation industry. The report, prepared by a panel of industry experts, concluded troublingly: “There is no objective evidence of a fundamental commitment to safety consistent with Boeing’s description of that goal.”
The report noted a “disconnect between Boeing’s senior management and the rest of the organization regarding safety culture” and highlighted “employee confusion about safety procedures.” This was partly due to shifts in company expectations, as well as “inadequate and confusing implementation” of security systems. The panel also found “hesitancy in reporting safety concerns due to fear of reprisal.”
Not a good look for Boeing.In addition to the January door incident, there are recent comments from a former senior Boeing manager who said In an interview with the Los Angeles Times He “will never fly a MAX” and warned his family and “everyone” to “avoid flying on the MAX.”There has been controversy recently Producing dozens of 737 MAX jets, which involves drilling holes in the wrong part of the fuselage. In short: Boeing has been awash with bad news lately, which only adds to the confusion.
After the FAA report was released, Boeing issued a statement to the media pledging to do better. “We have taken important steps to foster a safety culture that empowers and encourages all employees to share their voices. But there is more work to be done,” the company said. “We will carefully review the group’s assessment and learn from their findings as we continue our comprehensive efforts to improve our safety and quality programs.”
The FAA, meanwhile, said it will “continue to require Boeing to adhere to the highest safety standards and will work to ensure the company fully implements these recommendations.”
Boeing went through a serious crisis a few years ago Two 737 MAX planes crash. The two crashes in 2018 and 2019 killed hundreds of people and grounded MAX aircraft around the world for nearly two years. A Follow-up report An investigation into the crash found that the crash was caused by organizational errors at Boeing and the FAA.
I think it’s safe to say that federal regulation in this country could be significantly strengthened. Too often, federal agencies tasked with overseeing a specific industry end up giving much of that oversight to the industry itself. One might say that’s what’s happening here. The FAA said it wants to “continue” to hold Boeing to the “highest safety standards.” That’s fine, but obviously if Boeing is already operating at the “maximum” level, there’s no need to issue a report condemning it for not doing so.