US officials probe claims Boeing workers falsified inspection records

Boeing’s safety record has been under intense scrutiny since a door panel blew out of a Boeing 737 Max during an Alaska Airlines flight in January [Gavin McIntyre/The Post And Courier via AP]

Air safety officials in the United States are investigating whether employees at Boeing falsified inspections records for the 787 Dreamliner.

The Federal Aviation Administration said on Monday that it had opened the probe after Boeing voluntarily informed officials that it may not have completed required inspections to “confirm adequate bonding and grounding where the wings join the fuselage on certain 787 Dreamliner airplanes”.

“The FAA is investigating whether Boeing completed the inspections and whether company employees may have falsified aircraft records. At the same time, Boeing is reinspecting all 787 airplanes still within the production system and must also create a plan to address the in-service fleet,” an FAA spokesperson said in a statement.

“As the investigation continues, the FAA will take any necessary action – as always – to ensure the safety of the flying public.”

Boeing raised its concerns after an employee observed an “irregularity” and raised the issue with a supervisor, head of the Boeing 787 programme Scott Stocker said in an email to staff.

“We quickly reviewed the matter and learned that several people had been violating company policies by not performing a required test, but recording the work as having been completed,” Stocker said, adding that engineering had determined that the issue did not pose an immediate flight safety risk.

Stocker said that Boeing had promptly informed authorities and were “taking swift and serious corrective action with multiple teammates”.

The probe comes after a Boeing whistleblower made separate allegations of serious flaws in the production of the 787 at a Senate committee hearing last month.

Boeing’s safety record has been under intense scrutiny since a door panel blew out of a Boeing 737 Max during an Alaska Airlines flight in January.

Following the near-disaster, the FAA barred Boeing from expanding production of the 737 MAX and ordered it to present a plan to address “systemic quality-control issues” within 90 days.

The mid-air blowout was the latest incident to tarnish Boeing’s image after two 737 MAX crashes in 2018 and 2019 that killed 346 people.