Faa Finds Problems With Work At Boeing Audit Uncovers Production Breakdowns; Fines Uncertain

The Federal Aviation Administration found “systemic” problems with the design and production process at seven Boeing Co. aircraft engineering and manufacturing facilities, including Spokane’s, but concluded passenger safety was not compromised.

The FAA conducted the audit from December to February after what it called a “series of high-visibility production breakdowns” at Boeing last fall. The audit found 107 problems - 87 in production and 20 in engineering.

“The findings show that these were not isolated events, that in fact they were systemic issues,” John Hickey of the FAA said at a news conference Monday. “They illustrate that design and production systems are not functioning as intended at the Boeing Company.”

However, Hickey said the FAA found no immediate safety short-comings related to the problems. The agency has not decided whether to fine Boeing but is satisfied by the company’s response and cooperation, he said.

The FAA studied everything from aircraft engineering to parts receiving and the manufacturing process at Boeing’s Washington state plants in Spokane, Seattle, Everett, Renton, Auburn, Fredrickson, and in Portland, Ore.

At its plant west of Spokane, Boeing had problems with a part called the cockpit drip shield. An adhesive was improperly applied to a condensation barrier that keeps moisture from dripping onto cockpit electronics.

Furthermore, these drip shields didn’t meet flammability standards, which forced the company to stop delivery of 50 airplanes while the parts were replaced last year.

The problem had been repeated - unknown - for six years.

Boeing agreed with the audit findings, said Liz Otis, vice president for quality in the company’s commercial airplanes group.

“We have stood by our processes, and we believe our excellent safety record speaks for itself,” Otis said. “But wherever there is room for improvement, we will be looking at it.”

Among the incidents last fall that prompted the FAA review:

An airline told Boeing that two of 16 bolts holding the vertical stabilizer onto the tail of a 767 were not sufficiently tightened.

Assembly line mechanics at Boeing’s Everett plant, where 747s, 767s and 777s are built, reported that fuel tank repairs were being made after the tanks had been inspected and that debris such as sealant tubes and rivet guns were occasionally left behind.

The FAA audit found that some Boeing manufacturing processes were not complete or were overly complex; that these processes were not always followed; that workers sometimes were given inadequate instructions; and that Boeing conducted inadequate inspections to ensure that product results matched their design.

For example, Hickey said engineers who made design changes did not always document their actions, which makes replicating the steps by other engineers more difficult.

FAA officials said Boeing has worked with them to address the findings and to tighten internal and external controls to ensure products perform to expectations.

Boeing will add 70 inspectors at suppliers’ facilities by the end of the year and 300 on Boeing’s own production lines and will perform self-audits in its own facilities, the FAA said. Boeing also has set up a board to review design changes on every plane.

In addition, the FAA will add inspectors at Boeing plants and will continue working with the company for the next two years to determine why the problems occurred and make any additional changes needed.

David Stempler, president of the Air Travelers Association, a Washington, D.C., airline passenger group, said he is satisfied by the audit and the company’s response. “I don’t think we feel there are any problems,” he said.

Boeing stock closed Monday at $64.69, up 94 cents on the New York Stock Exchange.