FAA launches investigation into Boeing 787 production line

The FAA is investigating Boeing’s manufacturing practices on the 787 Dreamliner after the company admitted that its inspection records for the wing-to-body joining process at its final assembly site in South Carolina may have been falsified.

“The FAA opened an investigation into Boeing after the company voluntarily told us in April that it may have failed to perform necessary inspections to confirm adequate bonding and grounding at the locations where the wings connect to the fuselage of certain 787 Dreamliner aircraft have not been completed,” says a statement from the Zu authority FLYING. “The FAA is investigating whether Boeing completed inspections and whether company employees may have falsified aircraft records.”

The FAA noted that Boeing is currently “re-inspecting all 787 aircraft still in the production system and must also develop a remediation plan for the in-service fleet.”

Boeing emphasized that this is not an immediate flight safety issue for its operating fleet.

According to the company, the potential problem was discovered and reported by an employee at the 787 final assembly plant in South Carolina.

Scott Stocker, vice president and general manager of the Boeing 787 program, sent an email to all employees praising his teammate for speaking out when he saw “something” at the factory that was his In my opinion it wasn’t done correctly.

Stocker’s email states: “During a required compliance test, the teammate saw what appeared to be an irregularity at the wing body joint. He brought it up with his supervisor, who brought it to management’s attention. I wanted to personally thank this teammate and commend him for doing the right thing. It is critically important that each of us speak up when we see something that may not look right or needs our attention.”

Stocker said the company investigated the matter and learned that “several individuals violated company policy by failing to perform a required test but instead logging the work as completed.”

Boeing has a zero-tolerance policy for noncompliance with quality and safety protocols, Stocker said, adding that company officials have informed the FAA of their findings and dispatched an engineering team to assess the impact of the misconduct. The team concluded that while it was not an immediate aviation safety issue, it would impact customers because the test “now has to be performed on aircraft out of sequence during the build process.”

Additionally, the FAA said it will continue its investigation and “as always, take all necessary actions to ensure the safety of the flying public,” the agency said FLYING.