FAA announces measures to oversee Boeing manufacturing

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The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said Friday that it will implement “significant actions” to immediately increase its oversight of Boeing’s production and manufacturing, a day after announcing the opening of an investigation into the company.

The actions announced today include the FAA conducting an audit involving the 737-9 MAX production line and its suppliers to assess Boeing’s compliance with quality requirements.

“The results of the FAA’s audit analysis will determine if additional audits are necessary,” the FAA said, a few days after last Saturday’s incident involving an Alaska Airlines 737-9 (MAX), from which part of the fuselage detached mid-flight.

The FAA will conduct special monitoring of events aboard the Boeing 737-9 MAX, provide a safety risk assessment to the quality oversight authority, and consider the option of transferring these functions to independent entities.

“It is time to reexamine the delegation of authority and assess any associated safety risks,” said FAA Administrator Mike Whitaker.

Alaska Airlines Boeing 737 MAX cockpit voice recorder did not record information about incident

The 737-9 shutdown and the multiple production-related problems identified in recent years, he added, “require us to look at all options to reduce risk.”

On Thursday, the FAA formally notified Boeing that it is conducting an investigation to determine whether the company failed to ensure that the finished products complied with its approved design and were in a condition to operate safely in compliance with FAA regulations.

On Wednesday, the U.S. government ordered the grounding of all Boeing 737 MAX 9 aircraft “until they are safe.”

Several companies, such as Alaska Airlines and United Airlines, had already suspended flights operated with these models.

On December 29 last year, prior to the Alaska Airlines incident, the FAA and Boeing urged airlines to inspect their 737-9s for any loose parts.

Both Alaska and United have acknowledged that in initial inspections of their aircraft they have found loose screws and other components.

With information from EFE