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The Federal Aviation Administration said Friday it will open a three-month review of Boeing’s compliance with safety regulations, continuing the agency’s closer oversight of the company since a panel blew off a jetliner during an Alaska Airlines flight in January.
The FAA said its review will examine key areas of safety processes at Boeing to make sure that they “result in timely, accurate safety-related information for FAA use.”
An FAA spokesperson said the review was not triggered by any particular event or concern but rather is part of the FAA’s oversight of safety culture at the huge aircraft maker.
Boeing did not comment immediately on the new review.
FAA Administrator Mike Whitaker has ordered special audits of Boeing and other steps to examine the safety culture at Boeing since a panel called a door plug blew off a 737 Max during the Alaska Airlines flight.
However, the inspector general of the Transportation Department, FAA’s parent agency, said last week that weaknesses in FAA oversight are limiting its ability to find and fix problems at Boeing.
The auditor said FAA has failed to ensure that Boeing and its suppliers make parts that meet engineering and design requirements and to investigate claims that Boeing puts improper pressure on employees who are authorized to conduct safety inspections. The FAA has closed only 14 of 34 reports of undue pressure, with the others remaining open for more than a year on average, according to the report.
Last month, the National Transportation Safety Board issued an “urgent” recommendation to FAA about a problem that surfaced in February with rudders that pilots use to steer certain Boeing 737s after landing. Two weeks later, the FAA later issued a safety alert to airlines about the matter.
