- The FAA said they believe there are “other production issues” at Boeing
- Regulators previously said Alaska Airlines’ near-catastrophe should not have happened and ‘cannot happen again’
- The agency was previously in favor of letting Boeing conduct its own investigation
The Federal Aviation Administration has announced it will audit Boeing’s production line and its suppliers after the door of an Alaska Airlines plane blew off in mid-air.
The agency will significantly increase scrutiny of Boeing, with the agency’s head publicly saying they believe there are “other production issues” at the company.
It comes a day after the regulator announced an investigation into Boeing, saying the near-catastrophe should not have happened and “cannot happen again.”
In their statement Thursday, the FAAA said they have informed Boeing that they are conducting an investigation to determine whether the aircraft manufacturer has failed “to ensure that completed products conform to the approved design and are capable of being safely operated.” to operate’.
“The safety of the flying public, rather than speed, will determine the timetable for returning the Boeing 737-9 Max to service,” the FAA said.
The Federal Aviation Administration has announced it will audit Boeing’s production line and its suppliers after the door blew off in mid-air on an Alaska Airlines plane
It comes a day after the regulator announced an investigation into Boeing, saying the near-catastrophe should not have happened and “cannot happen again.”
The FAA added that the results of the audit “will determine whether additional audits are necessary.”
The agency had previously been in favor of letting Boeing conduct its own investigation after two fatal crashes involving Boeing’s 737 Max 8, and now said it would reexamine its decision to delegate some responsibilities to Boeing and consider removing some transferring functions to independent, external entities.
After last Friday’s horrific incident, the FAA grounded 171 Boeing jets installed with the same panel after landing, most of them operated by Alaska Airlines and United Airlines, pending safety inspections.
The Alaska Airlines plane, which had only been in service for eight weeks, took off from Portland, Oregon, last Friday and was flying at 16,000 feet when the panel tore off the plane. Pilots returned the plane to Portland, with the passengers suffering only minor injuries.
Alaska Airlines and United Airlines, the other major U.S. carrier that operates 737 MAX 9 planes with that configuration, said they found loose parts on multiple grounded planes during preliminary checks, raising new concerns about how Boeing’s best-selling jet family is manufactured.
The two airlines have canceled hundreds of flights since Saturday while the MAX 9 planes were grounded.