US Senator Urges FAA to Conduct Comprehensive Review of Boeing Oversight, According to Reuters

By David Shepardson

WASHINGTON – The chair of the U.S. Senate Commerce Committee has called for a comprehensive review of the Federal Aviation Administration’s oversight of Boeing and other aircraft manufacturers, raising significant concerns about the level of government scrutiny on the plane maker.

Senator Maria Cantwell expressed her worries in a letter to FAA Administrator Mike Whitaker, highlighting that while the FAA has focused on addressing production quality issues at Boeing, it remains uncertain whether the agency’s actions—or lack thereof—contributed to the company’s challenges.

In April, the FAA reported conducting a total of 298 audits of Boeing and Spirit AeroSystems over the previous two years, none of which resulted in enforcement actions. Boeing has refrained from commenting, while the FAA stated it would respond to Cantwell’s letter but offered no additional comments. Spirit AeroSystems emphasized its commitment to ensuring high-quality and compliant manufacturing processes.

In her letter, dated Saturday, Cantwell advocated for a root cause analysis to ensure that both Boeing and the FAA identify core issues rather than merely addressing symptoms. She urged the FAA to assess any deficiencies in its oversight of Boeing and other manufacturers and to formulate corrective actions along with a plan for implementation.

The call for review comes after a concerning incident on January 5, where a new Alaska Airlines 737 MAX 9 lost a door plug at 16,000 feet during flight. Following this mid-air emergency, the FAA conducted a production audit of Boeing and Spirit, uncovering multiple instances of non-compliance with manufacturing quality control requirements.

At a recent Senate Commerce hearing, Whitaker acknowledged that the FAA had been "too hands off" regarding its oversight of Boeing prior to the January incident, asserting that the agency should have maintained better visibility into Boeing’s operations. He criticized the FAA’s pre-incident practices as overly focused on paperwork audits at the expense of physical inspections, pledging that the FAA would fully utilize its enforcement authority to hold Boeing accountable for any noncompliance.

In February, Whitaker restricted Boeing from increasing production of its 737 MAX and stated that the agency would maintain an increased on-site presence at both Boeing and Spirit for the foreseeable future.

The National Transportation Safety Board revealed that the door panel that detached from the Boeing 737 MAX 9 mid-flight was missing four crucial bolts, with no documentation available accounting for the removal of those bolts. Whitaker confirmed that such paperwork does not exist.