FAA’s Boeing Safety Report Doesn’t Inspire Confidence in Boeing or the FAA

Ever since a passenger plane’s door blew off in early January, plane-maker Boeing has been under increased scrutiny. Now, a new report from the Federal Aviation Administration calls into question the aircraft manufacturer’s safety procedures, calling them “inadequate.”

The report, which was published Monday, was originally requested by Congress in 2023 as part of a legislative effort to enhance security in the airline industry. The report, which was compiled by a panel of industry experts, disturbingly concludes that there is no “objective evidence of a foundational commitment to safety that matched Boeing’s descriptions of that objective.”

The report notes a “disconnect between Boeing’s senior management and other members of the organization on safety culture” and emphasizes “employee confusion” over safety procedures. Part of the blame for this is placed on shifting expectations at the company, as well as “inadequate and confusing implementation” of safety systems. The panel also found that there was “hesitation in reporting safety concerns for fear of retaliation.”

This is not a great look for Boeing. In addition to the door-related mishap that took place in January, there are also the recent comments by a former Boeing senior manager, who said during an interview with the LA Times that he would “absolutely not fly a MAX airplane” and would caution his own family —as well as “everyone”—to “avoid the MAX.” There is also the recent controversy involving the production of dozens of 737 MAX jets, the likes of which involved holes being drilled in the wrong part of the fuselage. In short: Boeing has been swamped with bad news lately and this just adds to the mess.

Following the release of the FAA’s report, Boeing shared a statement with the press in which it promised to do better. “We’ve taken important steps to foster a safety culture that empowers and encourages all employees to share their voice. But there is more work to do,” the company said. “We will carefully review the panel’s assessment and learn from their findings, as we continue our comprehensive efforts to improve our safety and quality programs.”

The FAA, meanwhile, said it would “continue to hold Boeing to the highest standard of safety and will work to ensure the company comprehensively addresses these recommendations.”

Boeing underwent a serious crisis several years ago after two 737 MAX aircrafts crashes. The crashes, which occurred in 2018 and 2019, killed hundreds of people, and led to the global grounding of the MAX aircraft for close to two years. A subsequent report on the crashes found that the planes crashed as the result of organizational failures at Boeing and the FAA.

I think it’s safe to say that federal regulation in this country could be substantially strengthened. Many times, a federal agency tasked with overseeing a particular industry ends up ceding much of that oversight to the industry itself. One might argue that’s what has happened here. The FAA says it wants to “continue” to hold Boeing to the “highest standard of safety.” That’s nice but, obviously, if Boeing were already operating at that “highest” level, there would be no need to issue a report chastising it for not doing so.