Boeing is Looking at 787 Inspection Concerns Again

Following Boeing’s admission to aviation safety regulators that it may not have thoroughly tested its 787 Dreamliners, the US has launched a fresh investigation into the troubled aircraft manufacturer.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) declared that it would investigate the possibility of record-faking by employees.

It added that every 787 aircraft being produced was undergoing a new inspection by Boeing.

It also stated that Boeing will be compelled to create a “action plan” in order to resolve issues with aircraft that are currently in use.

Boeing remained silent.

According to a statement viewed by BBC News, the business informed employees internally last week that the “misconduct” had not resulted in a “immediate safety of flight issue”.

Head of the Boeing 787 programme Scott Stocker sent an email to colleagues saying, “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.”

According to the FAA, Boeing “voluntarily” alerted them last month to the possibility that it “may not have completed” the necessary inspections to verify sufficient electrical safeguards where the wings and body of some of its 787 Dreamliners, a big aircraft frequently utilised on international flights, meet.

“The FAA is investigating whether Boeing completed the inspections and whether company employees may have falsified aircraft records,” it stated.

“As the investigation continues, the FAA will take any necessary action – as always – to ensure the safety of the flying public.”

This is the most current issue to arise at Boeing in the past few years. A new 737 Max 9 plane’s unusable emergency exit door broke off shortly after takeoff in January, bringing attention to the aircraft’s production and safety procedures.

In addition to forcing the company to significantly reduce output, the incident resulted in the temporary grounding of several flights, heightened regulatory scrutiny, a criminal investigation, and other legal and financial issues.

Dave Calhoun, the company’s chief executive, announced in March that he would be leaving by the end of the year, making him the most well-known employee to leave the company following the incident.

A few years prior, two of Boeing’s 737 Max aircraft crashed within five months of one another, killing 346 passengers and crew members. This event severely harmed the company’s reputation. Following a Lion Air tragedy in October 2018, an Ethiopian Airlines 737 Max crashed soon after takeoff in March 2019. As a result, Dennis Muilenburg, the CEO at the time, was sacked.

Whistleblowers appeared before Congress last month, including Sam Salehpour, who said that his concerns over the 787 had been disregarded.

Boeing has stated that it is trying to change its corporate culture to support employees who identify issues and voice them, citing a “more than 500% increase” in employee reports since January.