FAA’s ‘failing system’ of monitoring Boeing blasted by federal watchdog

The Federal Aviation Administration hasn’t done enough to fix its oversight of Boeing, or to identify and address risks within the aerospace giant’s factories, a government watchdog agency said in a scathing report released Friday.

In the report, the Transportation Department’s inspector general outlined weaknesses found in the FAA’s oversight of Boeing 737 and 787 production lines, issuing 16 recommendations to improve what it described as a “failing system.”

The FAA has been under pressure since January, when a misinstalled panel blew off a new 737 MAX jet over Portland, Ore. The Alaska Airlines jet landed safely, but the incident demonstrated the potential for catastrophic failure.

The FAA hasn’t moved to proactively identify risks or demonstrated how it will resolve allegations of undue pressure on Boeing workers who are designated to do work on behalf of the FAA, the inspector general found.

Among the other findings:

* The FAA doesn’t have an effective system overseeing individual Boeing factories.

* FAA hasn’t ensured the company has effectively resolved its supplier issues.

* FAA hasn’t assessed the effectiveness of Boeing’s safety management system, which focuses on product and workplace safety.

“By improving its oversight model to better address risk, FAA can help to improve a failing system and restore public trust in the safety of Boeing aircraft,” the report said.

The inspector general’s office pointed to the FAA’s audit policy, which requires 18 audits annually, with more in-depth quality system audits every 2 years, for all of Boeing and its suppliers, according to the report. The policy is “inadequate for a manufacturer as large and complex as Boeing,” the watchdog agency wrote.

From 2021 to 2023, the FAA exceeded its minimum number of audits at 737 and 787 production facilities and at Boeing suppliers, according to the report. Still, the inspector general’s office wrote, problems persist.

“These issues raise questions as to whether FAA’s audits can validate that Boeing effectively complies with Federal regulations, FAA-approved type designs, and Boeing’s quality system requirements,” the agency said in the report.

The report also focused on the FAA’s challenges in addressing allegations of undue pressure from Boeing put on workers in the Organization Designation Authorization (ODA) program, which beginning in 2005 allowed Boeing to certify its own work. The inspector general’s office found that 15 of 34 allegations made about undue pressure were unresolved by the FAA for more than one year, and two cases had been open for more than two years.

In response, the FAA agreed with the recommendations and pointed to its addition of more safety inspectors in facilities run by Boeing and Spirit AeroSystems, a key Boeing supplier that produces large pieces of the 737 and 787 jets. FAA Administrator Mike Whitaker said last month the agency is on track to reach its target of adding 55 inspectors to Boeing and Spirit facilities by the end of the year.

The agency said it plans to fully implement the inspector general’s recommendations between 2025 and 2028. Boeing provided its comprehensive plan to the FAA in May, “marking the beginning of the next chapter of ensuring implementation and a renewed focus on safety at Boeing,” an FAA representative wrote in a memorandum included with the report.

Congressional scrutiny has increased since the January incident on the Alaska flight, but whether that scrutiny will drive any changes from Washington, D.C., remains an open question. In Washington state, Boeing is grappling with the ongoing Machinists strike, which has halted jet production. For nearly a month, 33,000 workers have picketed outside Boeing factories as the company and union say they remain far apart in negotiations.

U.S. Sen. Tammy Duckworth, D-Ill., said in a statement Friday that the findings underscored her belief that the FAA isn’t holding Boeing accountable. Duckworth is chair of the Senate’s aviation safety subcommittee.

“As the federal agency responsible for ensuring Boeing improves its safety culture ... FAA clearly has work to do to better protect the flying public,” Duckworth said. “I will continue my close Congressional oversight of those efforts.”

In a hearing with lawmakers last month, Whitaker said the FAA’s previous approach with inspections was too hands-off and in “reactive mode” rather than proactive.

U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg confirmed in April that the inspector general’s office was auditing the FAA’s oversight of Boeing manufacturing, and called it “very healthy” for the office to do so across the department, the news outlet Semafor reported.

“Obviously, when something is in the news, they’re going to take a closer look the same way we’re taking a closer look at Boeing,” Buttigieg said at the Semafor World Economy Summit in Washington, D.C.