U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), Chair of the Senate Committee
on Commerce, Science and Transportation sent a letter to Federal
Aviation Administration (FAA) Administrator Michael Whitaker on July 27, 2024,
requesting the FAA conduct a root cause analysis to determine any deficiencies
in its own oversight of aviation manufacturers.
Sen. Cantwell wrote, “I have serious concerns about FAA’s
audits of Boeing and its suppliers, including whether the results of these
audits indicate ongoing production issues or ineffective regulatory oversight,
or both. While the FAA has rightly focused on Boeing’s production quality
shortcomings, I am concerned about whether FAA action—or inaction—contributed
to Boeing’s problems.”
“A root cause analysis would ensure both Boeing and FAA have
discovered the core causes of problems, rather than just symptoms,” the letter
continued. “FAA’s effective regulatory oversight is key to ensure Boeing, other
aviation manufacturers, and the United States remain the gold standard for
aviation safety.”
The letter to the FAA follows Sen. Cantwell’s most recent
Committee hearing on aviation safety, where FAA Administrator Whitaker testified
that the agency was “too hands-off” on its oversight of Boeing. Following the Alaska
Airlines flight 1282 incident in January 2024, Sen. Cantwell requested that
the FAA perform a special technical audit of Boeing’s production line. The FAA audit
found multiple instances where Boeing and Spirit AeroSystems failed to comply
with manufacturing quality control requirements.
In April of this year, Sen. Cantwell held a hearing to
review the independent Organization Designation Authorization (ODA) Expert
Review Panel’s final report in addition to a March hearing with National
Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) Chair Jennifer Homendy on its investigation
of the January incident.
In May, Sen. Cantwell led the passage of the FAA
Reauthorization Act of 2024, which includes new measures to improve aviation
safety such as putting more safety inspectors on factory floors, addressing the
nation’s shortage of air traffic controllers, deploying new runway technology
to prevent close calls, mandating new 25-hour cockpit recording systems to
assist in investigations and enhancing aircraft certification reforms.
The FAA Reauthorization Act builds upon the Aircraft
Certification, Safety, and Accountability Act of 2020, spearheaded by Sen.
Cantwell in the aftermath of the Boeing 737 Max crashes in 2018 and 2019.
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