FAA Report Faults Boeing's Safety Culture
The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) in a report published Monday faulted Boeing's safety management culture for recent incidents involving its 737 MAX planes. The report highlights a 'disconnect' between the management and employees....
Facts
- The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) in a report published Monday faulted Boeing's safety management culture for recent incidents involving its 737 MAX planes. The report highlights a 'disconnect' between the management and employees.1
- The US aviation watchdog's 50-page report was based on a panel's finding that included a lack of 'skillful awareness' among a majority of employees on various reporting systems.2
- The panel's 27 findings include Boeing's failure to make safety reporting non-punitive. The FAA added that the firm doesn't take enough pilot input for its programs, making 53 recommendations.3
- FAA's criticisms were issued despite reported improvements Boeing has made since the two crashes involving the 737 Max 8 jet — in 2018 and 2019 — that killed 346 people.4
- The expert panel found that the implementation of Boeing's improvements had been 'inadequate and confusing.' The report comes weeks after a fuselage piece blew off a 737 MAX 9 on Jan. 5 in Oregon.5
- The FAA grounded around 171 Boeing 737 Max 9 aircraft after the January incident. Some of the planes are back flying again, but there's uncertainty surrounding Boeing's safety guarantees.6
Sources: 1Yahoo Finance, 2Aviation International News, 3Forbes, 4The New York Times, 5The Seattle Times and 6The Hill.
Narratives
- Narrative A, as provided by The Hill. Safety is the lifeblood of any aviation company, so criticism of Boeing is warranted. But what it really needs right now is a solid path to improvement rather than being decimated. Patience and perseverance from regulators, the government, and the public are key because it's important to keep a US-based company like Boeing going.
- Narrative B, as provided by Washington Post. After the 2018 and 2019 tragedies on its planes, Boeing seems to have prioritized profitability over safety. Comments by CEO Dave Calhoun exposed a rot in the heart of the company, and it's facing a long road to regaining the trust of the government and the public. It can start by being more transparent when it has issues.
