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Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

FAA probes potential flaws in Boeing’s manufacturing process

An Alaska Airlines Boeing 737-9 Max lands at Paine Field near Boeing’s manufacturing facility in Everett, Wash., north of Seattle, on March 20, 2020.  (Associated Press)
By Lori Aratani and Ian Duncan Washington Post

The Federal Aviation Administration said Thursday it is launching an investigation into whether aerospace giant Boeing followed rules to ensure that the aircraft it built were safe for operation.

“Boeing may have failed to ensure its completed products conformed to its approved design and were in a condition for safe operation in accordance with quality system inspection and test procedures,” the FAA said in a letter to the Seattle-based company.

The FAA grounded some Boeing 737 Max 9 aircraft Saturday after last week’s high-profile incident involving a jet operated by Alaska Airlines. A door-like panel flew off during a flight, leaving a gaping hole in the plane. The incident terrified passengers and renewed scrutiny of a company that manufactured planes involved in two fatal air crashes in 2018 and 2019. The announcement Thursday marks the beginning of a broader probe into potential problems with the aircraft after the FAA said it was informed of “discrepancies” on other Max 9s.

“This incident should have never happened and it cannot happen again,” the agency said in a statement. “Boeing’s manufacturing practices need to comply with the high safety standards they’re legally accountable to meet.”

The FAA formally notified the company about the investigation in a letter sent Thursday. The National Transportation Safety Board is also investigating Friday’s incident.”

In a statement, Boeing said, “We will cooperate fully and transparently with the FAA and the NTSB on their investigations.”

Boeing’s chief executive told employees during a company meeting Tuesday that the aerospace giant will acknowledge its “mistake” and be transparent as it attempts to move forward after the grounding of dozens of its 737 Max 9 aircraft over safety concerns.

“We’re going to approach this No. 1 acknowledging our mistake,” Dave Calhoun said, according to excerpts provided by the company. “We’re going to approach it with 100% and complete transparency every step of the way.”

The FAA previously announced it was grounding 171 Boeing Max 9 planes until formal inspections of the aircraft could be done. However, airlines have not been able to begin formal inspections due to a lack of clarity from Boeing and the FAA, which has a formal procedure required for the planes to resume flying. Alaska and United Airlines are the only two U.S. carriers that have the Boeing Max 9 planes in their fleets.

The National Transportation Safety Board, which is leading the investigation into the Jan. 5 accident, has recovered the part, known as a door plug, which investigators say will provide valuable clues as to why the part failed.

Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., chair of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, sent a letter to Federal Aviation Administration Administrator Michael Whitaker on Thursday calling on the agency to produce relevant documents and information from the last two years’ worth of audits of Boeing and Spirit AeroSystems quality control and provide answers on the FAA’s oversight of each manufacturer.

“The safety of the flying public is our top priority,” Sen. Cantwell said after sending the letter. “We must know what caused the terrifying incident on an Alaska Airlines flight last week and whether manufacturers and FAA oversight failed to meet safety regulations. The American public deserves answers. I am asking the FAA to provide a full accounting of its oversight of manufacturers’ compliance and quality control standards.”

In her letter, Cantwell gives the agency until Jan. 25 to respond.