Boeing’s long-haul model 787 “Dreamliner” is currently under investigation by the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) regarding the quality controls on its connection points between the fuselage and wings of some aircraft. The FAA announced on Monday that it is examining whether Boeing employees may have falsified audit documents related to these connection points.
Boeing has confirmed that some of the connection points may not have been properly checked, prompting the FAA to assess whether necessary inspections have been conducted and instructed Boeing to review all 787s on its production lines. Despite this investigation, Boeing has emphasized that there is no immediate safety concern for the current airline fleet and that there is no need to ground any aircraft.
The investigation was prompted by a tip from a Boeing employee who observed a violation of audit requirements and informed management. This incident comes at a time when quality oversight at Boeing has been under increasing scrutiny, especially following a dramatic incident involving a Boeing 737-9 Max from Alaska Airlines in January.
In a recent Senate hearing, a whistleblower from Boeing criticized the company for allowing gaps between fuselage parts to be too large on many 787 aircraft, potentially shortening the machines’ service life. Boeing has adamantly denied these allegations and continues to work on addressing the issues raised by the investigation.
