FAA opening Boeing safety review

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) announced Friday it is opening a review into Boeing’s safety processes to ensure they meet the administration’s requirements.

“The review will focus on key areas of Boeing’s safety processes, such as response time, risk-assessment quality, resource allocation, and adherence to regulatory requirements and FAA policy,” the FAA said in a release, adding that it expects the review to take three months.

Boeing has seen multiple, highly public technical failures this year, including the midair blowout of a door plug from Alaska Airlines Flight 1282 in January, in which the Boeing 737-9 MAX aircraft made an emergency landing. There were no fatalities, though several passengers required medical care for apparently non-life-threatening injuries.

The Justice Department launched a criminal investigation into Boeing earlier this year after the company admitted that it couldn’t find records that the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) sought for work done on the panel at its factory. 

In March, an FAA audit found multiple “non-compliance issues in Boeing’s manufacturing process control, parts handling and storage, and product control.”

Last month, FAA Administrator Michael Whitaker testified before the Senate regarding Boeing. A memo from the agency highlighted the aircraft manufacturer’s inadequate training for personnel and failure to conduct sufficient quality inspections.

And Sens. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) last month sent a letter urging the Justice Department to take action against Boeing’s executives over safety issues.

Boeing’s workers have also been in the midst of a strike, as around 33,000 machinists walked off the job shortly after midnight Sept. 13 over wage increases and the reinstatement of pensions.

The Hill has contacted Boeing for comment.