Federal air-safety regulators have opened a new investigation into Boeing, $BA, related to the company’s inspections of its 787 Dreamliner and whether company employees falsified records
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) announced on Monday that it has launched an investigation into Boeing's 787 Dreamliner following the planemaker's admission of "misconduct" by employees who claimed certain tests had been completed.
The FAA is probing whether Boeing conducted inspections to ensure adequate bonding and grounding where the wings join the fuselage on specific 787 Dreamliner aircraft, "and whether company employees may have falsified aircraft records."
Simultaneously, Boeing is conducting re-inspections on all 787 airplanes still in the production system and must develop a plan to address the in-service fleet.
Boeing's stock dropped 1.5% to $177.03 late Monday afternoon.
In response to a request for comment, Boeing provided an April 29 email from Scott Stocker, head of the company's 787 program, to employees in South Carolina, where the 787 is assembled.
Stocker's email stated that an employee noticed what appeared to be an irregularity in a required 787 conformance test. He explained that upon investigation, it was discovered that several individuals had violated company policies by not conducting a required test but recording the work as completed.
Boeing promptly informed the FAA "about what we learned and are taking swift and serious corrective action with multiple" employees, Stocker stated.
He emphasized, "our engineering team has assessed that this misconduct did not create an immediate safety of flight issue." Boeing previously stated in April that it anticipates a slower ramp-up in the production rate and deliveries of its 787 Dreamliner widebody jets due to supplier shortages "on a few key parts.”
A Boeing quality engineer recently raised concerns about some manufacturing practices on the 787 and 777 widebody programs and testified before Congress last month.
The Justice Department is conducting a criminal investigation into a Jan. 5 mid-air emergency involving a Boeing 737 MAX 9.
The National Transportation Safety Board has reported that four crucial bolts were apparently missing from the plane, which had been delivered by Boeing months earlier. Boeing has indicated that it believes the necessary documents detailing the removal of the bolts were never generated.
