Boeing is facing a new probe by FAA after employee ‘misconduct’ linked to 787 inspections

On Monday, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) declared that it had opened an inquiry into Boeing’s 787 Dreamliner. This action is in response to the company disclosing that certain employees engaged in “improper conduct” by fabricating their passing scores on particular exams.

The purpose of the FAA investigation is to ascertain whether Boeing inspected specific Dreamliners as required to guarantee correct bonding and grounding at the point where the wings and fuselage meet. They will also look into the possibility of Boeing employees falsifying aircraft records.

Boeing is currently re-inspecting every Dreamliner that is still being produced while the investigation is ongoing. The business needs to create a strategy to deal with these issues for the Dreamliners that are currently in service.

Monday’s closing price for Boeing’s shares was $178.35, a slight decrease.

The head of Boeing’s 787 program, Scott Stocker, wrote an internal email to staff members at the facility in South Carolina where the Dreamliner is assembled on April 29.

According to Stocker’s email, a possible discrepancy was discovered by an employee during a required Dreamliner conformity test. He went on to say that following an investigation, “we quickly reviewed the matter and learned that several people had been recording the work as completed, even though they had not performed the required test,” in violation of company policies.

Stocker emphasized that Boeing is taking swift corrective action against “multiple” employees and promptly notified the FAA of their findings. He went on to say that the engineering team at Boeing has concluded that there is no immediate risk to flight safety from this incident.

Due to “supplier constraints” on a few key components, Boeing previously stated in April that they expect a slower ramp-up in production and delivery of their 787 Dreamliner aircraft.

Following criticism of Boeing quality engineer’s manufacturing practices for the 787 and 777 programs, these latest developments have occurred. Last month, the engineer testified before Congress.

In addition, a separate criminal investigation into a January 5th incident involving a Boeing 737 MAX 9 is being carried out by the Department of Justice. Four important bolts that were delivered by Boeing months earlier did not seem to be present in the aircraft, according to the National Transportation Safety Board. Although Boeing admits that some bolts are missing, they maintain that no record of their removal has been acknowledged.