Internal Investigation Reveals Boeing Employees Falsified Inspection Data

Trouble continues to pile up for airplane manufacturer Boeing. The latest blow is an internal investigation that uncovered employees who were falsifying inspection data during the manufacturing process of 787 Dreamliner planes.

According to an internal email from a Boeing executive that was subsequently shared with media, Scott Stocker, vice president of manufacturing and safety and head of the 787 program, said a Boeing employee noticed something that did not look right and came forward with the information.

“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 in the message, as reported by the BBC.

The message also said that Boeing had determined that there was no immediate risk to flight safety and reported the matter promptly to the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). On 6 May, the FAA issued a statement that said it was investigating the incident. The statement also said Boeing would inspect all the planes currently in production and would develop a plan to inspect 787s currently in service.

Stocker said the company was taking swift action to address the workers’ conduct and used the incident to encourage employees to be alert and report anything they think is unusual: “It’s critical that every one of us speak up when we see something that may not look right, or that needs attention.”

“The incident provides evidence that Boeing’s emphasis on spotlighting safety issues, even if they reflect poorly on the company, is paying dividends,” industry news site Aviation Week said. “It also underscores how far the company has to go, as falsification of safety-related records is arguably industry’s most egregious non-operational regulatory violation.”

The incident is the latest in a string of bad publicity incidents for the commercial side of the manufacturing company going back years. The 787 plan was most recently in the news just last month when a whistleblower said he faced company retaliation when he reported that certain models of the 787 and 777 had manufacturing design flaws that could be catastrophic after repeated flaws over several years.

In January, a Boeing 737 Max experienced a midair door blowout on an Alaska Airlines flight, leading the U.S. Department of Justice to open a criminal investigation. The incident led to the FAA requiring Boeing to develop and submit a plan to fix quality problems and meet safety standards. An independent panel that investigated the incident issued a report criticizing the company for shortcomings in the company’s safety culture.

“Boeing must commit to real and profound improvements,” said FAA Administrator Mike Whitaker. “Making foundational change will require a sustained effort from Boeing’s leadership, and we are going to hold them accountable every step of the way.”

The 737 Max has been grounded twice. First on 13 March 2019 after a pair of crashes in 2018 and 2019. The jet was grounded two years at that time. The plane was grounded again after the Alaska Air incident for a couple of weeks.