FAA Expert Criticizes Boeing’s Safety Practices After Mid-Air Incident

An FAA-appointed panelist, Javier de Luis, an aerospace engineer and lecturer at MIT, is set to criticize Boeing Co. for its safety culture deficiencies during a Senate Commerce Committee hearing. This critique comes in the wake of a recent mid-air blowout involving a Boeing 737 Max 9, which highlighted ongoing safety concerns within the company. The incident, where a fuselage panel detached shortly after takeoff due to missing bolts, underscores systemic issues that have not been sufficiently addressed since the fatal 737 Max crashes in 2018 and 2019.

De Luis, who lost his sister in one of the crashes, expressed disappointment in Boeing’s slow pace of safety and quality reforms. In his prepared remarks, he references a statement by Boeing’s CFO, Brian West, acknowledging the need for a shift from prioritizing aircraft production to enhancing quality control, suggesting a recognition of issues only after repeated tragedies.

The FAA expert’s testimony is part of a broader examination by U.S. lawmakers, who are also reviewing claims from a whistleblower about poor assembly processes in Boeing’s 787 Dreamliner series. These allegations, which Boeing denies, suggest potential structural weaknesses that could affect the aircraft’s long-term integrity.

In response to these safety concerns, Boeing is preparing a 90-day plan to overhaul its quality and safety practices, a move that follows the recommendations of an expert panel report published in February. This report criticized Boeing for its ineffective procedures and communication breakdowns between its senior management and staff.

The Senate hearings aim to delve deeper into these issues, with significant implications for Boeing’s operational practices and regulatory oversight. This scrutiny comes at a time when the aerospace giant is under increasing pressure to fortify its safety protocols and restore confidence among passengers, stakeholders, and regulatory bodies.

Sources: AirGuide Business airguide.info, bing.com, business-standard.com