A year after a panel blew out of a Boeing 737 Max during flight, the country’s top aviation regulator says the business needs “a fundamental cultural shift” to put safety and standard above profits.
Mike Whitaker, chief of the Federal Aviation Administration, said in an online post Friday that his agency also has more work to do in its oversight of Boeing.
Whitaker, who plans to step down in two weeks to let President-elect Donald Trump pick his own FAA administrator, looked back on his selection last January to ground all 737 Max jets with similar panels called door plugs. Later, the FAA put more inspectors in Boeing factories, limited production of recent 737s, and required Boeing to arrive up with a schedule to fix manufacturing problems.
“Boeing is working to make advancement executing its comprehensive schedule in the areas of safety, standard advancement and effective employee engagement and training,” Whitaker said. “But this is not a one-year assignment. What’s needed is a fundamental cultural shift at Boeing that’s oriented around safety and standard above profits. That will require sustained attempt and commitment from Boeing, and unwavering scrutiny on our part.”
Boeing on Friday issued an update on steps it has taken to enhance safety and standard, including addressing concerns raised by employees and reinforcing their confidentiality protection.
Boeing, which couldn’t construct recent 737s during a seven-week strike by machinists last fall, said it has strengthened training for mechanics and standard inspectors. The business said it updated a structure to display the names of employees who perform metal-stamping work.
The business also said it has “significantly reduced defects” in 737 fuselages built by Spirit AeroSystems, but it declined to provide numbers. Spirit is a key supplier that Boeing is in the procedure of buying for $4.7 billion.
The National Transportation Safety Board continues to investigate the door-plug blowout on an Alaska Airlines Max jet. Despite a gaping hole in the side, pilots landed the plane safely in Portland, Oregon, and no solemn injuries were reported.
A month after the accident, investigators said in a preliminary update that bolts used to assist secure the panel were not replaced after work in a Boeing factory.
Whitaker said the FAA will review any recommendations that the safety board makes to enhance FAA’s oversight work. Last summer, he admitted that FAA’s scrutiny of Boeing wasn’t excellent enough.
