FAA Report Blasts Boeing's Safety Culture On Heels Of Airline Incident

A key finding from the Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) report highlights a troubling gap in understanding and commitment to safety across Boeing Company Inc.‘s BA hierarchy.

What Happened: U.S. regulators released a comprehensive report condemning Boeing’s approach to safety, spotlighting significant concerns within the aviation giant.

The report emerged on the heels of Boeing’s struggles with the repercussions of a nearly disastrous incident earlier in the year involving an Alaska Airlines flight, where a panel detached from a 737 MAX 9 shortly after the takeoff.

“The Expert Panel observed a disconnect between Boeing’s senior management and other members of the organization on safety culture,” the report states, indicating a fundamental issue within the corporate structure.

The report criticizes the company’s SMS for its complexity and constant changes, which confound employees and hinder their grasp of their roles within the system. This confusion is further magnified by the variability across different work sites and employee categories.

Read Also: Boeing Leadership Shake-Up After 737 Max Incident – But ‘Will This Change Be Enough?’

Why It Matters: Boeing remains under scrutiny after two fatal crashes involving the 737 Max 8 jet in 2018 and 2019.

Regulators have since noticed “a lack of awareness of safety-related metrics at all levels of the organization.” Employees struggle “in distinguishing the differences among various measuring methods, their purpose, and outcomes.”

Boeing introduced a “Speak Up” program after the 737 Max incident in 2019. However, employees remain hesitant to report safety issues, fearing for their anonymity and potential repercussions.

The report has 27 findings and 53 recommendations derived from extensive interviews and document reviews. It also sets a daunting task for Boeing to overhaul its safety culture and practices.

The FAA report mandates Boeing to undertake a thorough review of the findings. The company must devise within six months a detailed action plan aimed at rectifying these issues through a milestone-based approach.

Shares of the aircraft manufacturer were little moved Monday, up by 0.2% after slightly easing 0.3% on Friday. Boeing’s stock price is down 19% from the levels it traded before the Alaska Airlines’ incident.

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