FAA Critical of Boeing Safety Culture

The agency's 50-page report cites areas where the aerospace giant needs improvement.

Tuesday, February 27, 2024 at 04:51 PM ET

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The FAA brought in several outside sources to review Boeing's safety culture and found it lacking in many places, including internal oversight. [ Ian Dewar Photography/Shutterstock]

Key Takeaways:

An independent report commissioned by the FAA found a significant "disconnect" in Boeing's safety culture, specifically between senior management and engineering employees regarding safety oversight.
Key issues identified include inadequate safety culture implementation, employee fear of retaliation for reporting potential problems, lack of awareness of safety metrics, and a reduction in engineers focusing on "human factors" prior to the 737 Max crashes.
The report provided over 50 recommendations, including developing an autonomous process for reporting safety concerns without fear of retaliation, and Boeing is required to submit an action plan to the FAA within six months.

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A 50-page report commissioned by the FAA and released Monday calls attention to “a disconnect between Boeing’s senior management and engineering employees with respect to safety oversight.”

The report, compiled and written by a panel of independent aviation experts, including representatives from several airlines, unions, academic institutions, and manufacturers of components used in Boeing commercial aircraft, identifies multiple soft spots in Boeing’s present safety culture.