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 FAA-commissioned report identified a significant "disconnect" in Boeing's safety culture between senior management and engineering, citing inadequate safety oversight implementation and employee fears of retaliation for reporting issues.
The expert panel found widespread lack of awareness regarding safety metrics, skepticism about safety initiatives, a reduction in senior engineers post-pandemic, and insufficient consideration of human factors in aircraft design prior to the 737 Max crashes.
The report made over 50 recommendations, including developing an autonomous investigative process for safety concerns, and Boeing has six months to provide the FAA with an action plan to address these findings and improve its safety and quality programs.

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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.