FAA launches new Boeing investigation after company admits it may have missed some 787 inspections

U.S. regulators have launched a new investigation into Boeing after the company admitted it may have missed some inspections of its 787 Dreamliner aircraft.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said on Monday that it would investigate whether the troubled aerospace company had carried out the required inspections “and whether company employees may have falsified aircraft records.”

The company informed the group last month that some of its employees may have failed to carry out proper checks of electrical safety precautions at the connections between the wings and the fuselage.

The news comes after years of scandals at the once-major American aircraft manufacturer, which is currently facing increased regulatory scrutiny due to repeated and sometimes fatal accidents.

Former employees and informants accused the company of systematically reducing the quality of its production and the expertise of its workforce in order to achieve short-term profits for shareholders.

Last week, a second whistleblower in Boeing’s supply chain died after accusing the company of skimping on quality when building its 737 Max jetliner. The man reportedly died of pneumonia caused by a flu infection.

Scott Stocker, the head of Boeing’s 787 program, blamed worker “misconduct” for the missed inspections in an email to employees last month and said “swift and serious corrective action” had been taken against those responsible.

An FAA spokesman said: “The FAA opened an investigation into Boeing after the company voluntarily informed us in April that it may have failed to conduct required inspections to confirm adequate bonding and grounding at the wing-to-fuselage interface on certain 787 Dreamliner airplanes.

“The FAA is investigating whether Boeing completed inspections and whether company employees may have falsified aircraft records. At the same time, Boeing is re-inspecting all 787 aircraft still in the production system and must also develop a plan for the fleet in service.

“As the investigation continues, the FAA will, as always, take all necessary actions to ensure the safety of passengers.”

In response to questions from The IndependentA Boeing spokesman forwarded a copy of Mr Stocker’s email and said there was no immediate threat to the Dreamliners currently in service.

In his email, Mr. Stocker said the issue came to light because an employee reported it to his supervisor and thanked the employee for bringing it up.

The company has previously been accused of pursuing a strategy of punishing workers for raising safety concerns. In recent years, the company has strengthened its internal reporting and whistleblowing systems, although critics remain skeptical that this will be enough to solve the problem.

“After receiving the report, we quickly investigated the matter and learned that several individuals had violated company policy by failing to perform a required test but logging the work as completed,” Mr. Stocker said.

“As you all know, we have zero tolerance for non-compliance with processes designed to ensure quality and safety. We immediately informed our regulator of our findings and, together with several teammates, are taking swift and serious corrective action.

Fortunately, our engineering team has determined that this misbehavior does not pose an immediate safety risk to flight. However, it will have an impact on our customers and our colleagues in the factory as the test must now be performed out of sequence on aircraft in the build process.

“I know this is as frustrating to all of you as it is to me. It’s a reminder of why it’s so important that each of us does our part every day to ensure full compliance with our policies and procedures – and that we speak up when we see something that doesn’t seem right.”