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FAA to Maintain Increased Oversight of Boeing, Spirit AeroSystems Following 737 Max 9 Incidents

Jun 14, 2024, 12:15 AM

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) will continue its increased in-person oversight of Boeing and Spirit AeroSystems for the foreseeable future, as confirmed by FAA Administrator Michael Whitaker during a Senate Commerce Committee hearing. This decision follows a series of incidents, including a midair door plug blowout on a Boeing 737 Max 9 jet in January, which highlighted deficiencies in the FAA's previous oversight approach. Whitaker admitted that the FAA had been too 'hands-off' and focused on paperwork audits rather than hands-on inspections. Additionally, Republican Senator Chuck Grassley has launched a new congressional oversight inquiry into the FAA and Boeing following the January incident involving Alaska Airlines flight 1282. The FAA is also investigating another recent incident involving a Boeing 737 Max 8 jet. Senator Cantwell noted that most engineers at Boeing had trouble responding to basic questions about quality control during a review of an agency audit. Boeing is also dealing with a production issue on some of its Dreamliner jets, amid intense scrutiny from the FAA and NTSB.