Boeing Faces $3.1M Fine for Door Plug Blowout, Hundreds of Safety Violations

upstart writes:

FAA found factory violations, says Boeing sought approval for unairworthy planes:

The Federal Aviation Administration on Friday proposed fines of $3.1 million against Boeing for various safety violations related to the January 2024 door plug blowout and what the FAA called "interference with safety officials' independence."

An FAA statement said the proposed fine covers "safety violations that occurred from September 2023 through February 2024," and is the "maximum statutory civil penalty authority consistent with law." Boeing, which reported $22.7 billion in revenue and a net loss of $612 million last quarter, has 30 days to file a response with the agency.

"The FAA identified hundreds of quality system violations at Boeing's 737 factory in Renton, Washington, and Boeing subcontractor Spirit AeroSystems' 737 factory in Wichita, Kansas. Additionally, Boeing presented two unairworthy aircraft to the FAA for airworthiness certificates and failed to follow its quality system," the FAA said.

The FAA said that a Boeing safety official faced pressure to sign off on an aircraft that did not meet standards. The employee is part of the Boeing ODA [Organization Designation Authorization] unit that performs functions the FAA delegated to the company.

The FAA said it "found that a non-ODA Boeing employee pressured a Boeing ODA unit member to sign off on a Boeing 737-MAX airplane so Boeing could meet its delivery schedule, even though the ODA member determined the aircraft did not comply with applicable standards." Boeing's ODA process has faced criticism for years. A 2021 Inspector General report found that "the Boeing ODA process and structure do not ensure ODA personnel are adequately independent."

[...] Separately, Boeing in July 2024 agreed to plead guilty to a criminal charge of defrauding the FAA and pay a $243.6 million fine for violating a 2021 deferred prosecution agreement with the government. However, the Boeing plea deal was rejected by a federal judge in December 2024.

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