The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration is taking new
actions to increase its oversight of Boeing production and manufacturing, the
agency announced Friday. The move comes one day after the FAA notified Boeing
that is had launched an investigation into the company following the Alaska
Airlines Boeing 737-9 incident of losing a passenger door plug that
happened a week ago and subsequent grounding of the aircraft model.
The new actions include an audit of the Boeing Max 737-9
production line and its suppliers “to elevate Boeing’s compliance with
approved quality procedures, increased monitoring of 737-9 in-service events,
and assessment of safety risks “around delegated authority and quality
oversight,” as well as an examination of options “to move these
functions under independent, third-party entities,” according to the FAA.
“It is time to re-examine the delegation of authority
and assess any associated safety risks,” FAA administrator Mike Whitaker
said in a statement. “The grounding of the 737-9 and the multiple
production-related issues identified in recent years require us to look at
every option to reduce risk.”
The grounding of the 737-9 and the multiple production-related issues identified in recent years require us to look at every option to reduce risk.”
FAA’s Mike Whitaker
Alaska Airlines and United Airlines are two of the U.S.
carriers with Boeing Max 737-9 aircraft. The grounding has resulted in multiple
cancellations for the past week for each carrier.
Boeing CEO Dave Calhoun said on Tuesday during an employee meeting
that “we are going to approach this, No. 1, acknowledging our mistake. …
We are going to work with the [National Transportation Safety Board] who is
investigating the accident itself to find out what the cause is.”
After the FAA notified Boeing of its formal investigation,
Calhoun said in a statement that “we will cooperate fully and
transparently with the FAA and the NTSB on their investigations.”
