As senators conduct hearings on Boeing Co.’s door plug blowout and other issues, many are starting to question whether the Federal Aviation Administration’s oversight of the aircraft manufacturer has been too lenient.
In tandem hearings Wednesday on Boeing’s safety culture and management systems, Republicans and Democrats alike on Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs and Commerce panels indicated they were concerned the FAA has not been aggressive enough in enforcing safety standards on the aircraft manufacturer.
Although many have lauded current FAA Administrator Mike Whitaker for taking a stronger approach with Boeing, some whistleblowers claim that the FAA has not done enough to address the company’s safety culture and quality control processes since crashes involving 737 Max aircraft in 2018 and 2019 that killed 346 people.
