by Donald Wood
Last updated: 8:55 AM ET, Wed May 8, 2024
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) announced the launch
of an investigation into claims that Boeing
employees “falsified inspection records” on several 787 planes.
According to The
Associated Press, Boeing 787 program leader Scott Stocker reported in April
that an employee observed an “irregularity” in a required test and reported it
to his manager.
Upon further investigation, the airplane manufacturer found
that several employees had violated company policies by not performing the required
tests and reporting that the inspections were completed.
Officials from Boeing
said its engineers determined that the misconduct did not create “an immediate
safety of flight issue,” and no planes have been taken out of service. Delivery
times will be impacted, though, as the planes at the plant in North Charleston,
South Carolina, must be reinspected.
“The company voluntarily informed us in April that it may
not have completed required inspections to confirm adequate bonding and
grounding where the wings join the fuselage on certain 787 Dreamliner airplanes,”
an FAA spokesperson told The AP.
“The FAA is investigating whether Boeing completed the
inspections and whether company employees may have falsified aircraft records,”
the statement concluded.
As a result, Boeing immediately contacted the FAA upon
discovering the issues and said the company would take “swift and serious
corrective action with multiple teammates.” In addition, the manufacturer must
create a plan to “address planes are already flying.”
Boeing faced intense scrutiny over the last several months
after a door plug blew out of a Boeing 737 MAX during an Alaska
Airlines flight in January. Previously, the manufacturer faced backlash for
its role in two deadly crashes of MAX jets in 2018 and 2019.
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