Boeing has admitted to falsifying manufacturing safety records on 787 aircraft. They’re now dealing with another FAA investigation.
The FAA offers a statement that they’re investigating that this may have happened but Boeing acknowledges that it did happen.
The FAA has opened an investigation into Boeing after the company voluntarily informed us in April 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. As the investigation continues, the FAA will take any necessary action — as always — to ensure the safety of the flying public.
They weren’t testing the bonding of wings to the bodies of its Boeing 787s at its North Charleston, South Carolina plant – but workers were certifying that the tests were done. This isn’t disputed. In a somewhat mealy-mouthed memo to employees, Boeing acknowledges this.
Note Boeing doesn't use the word alleged here: "…several people had been violating Company policies by not performing a required test, but recording the work as having been completed." https://t.co/M5lgWAQY7R
— Jon Ostrower (@jonostrower) May 6, 2024
The aircraft manufacturer hasn’t delivered a 787 since April 12. They’ve had to do the tests that hadn’t been undertaken on undelivered planes, and doing so out-of-sequence is more cumbersome. That’s the reason, apparently, for paused deliveries.
We now have a further explanation for why deliveries have slowed and thrown a wrench into airline plans that had already accounted for Boeing delivery delays. American Airlines, for instance, has been forced to take an axe to its international flying plans as well as delay the launch of its new business class suites product.
According to Boeing “this misconduct did not create an immediate safety of flight issue.” Somehow this isn’t reassuring. Safety issues there are a meme at this point, ‘What’s the difference between a Boeing plane and the coronavirus? The coronavirus is airborne.’
if you’re on a boeing flight it’s not cringe anymore to clap when the plane lands.
— ally (@missmayn) March 16, 2024
I can think of three people who should be very nervous about their upcoming flight – the crew of the Boeing Starliner.
“The FAA has opened an investigation into Boeing after the company voluntarily informed us in April 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 term bonding and grounding is about an electrical pathway not mechanical bonding (fasteners, welds, adhesives, etc.) of the wings to the fuselage. You can find out more about it in your latest copy of the National Electric Code (article 250) but you will have to get technical documents for aircraft to find out how the term is applied to aircraft.
This is outrageous and intolerable .
I am just wondering why the shareholders continue to allow the board and leadership a single day of pay and employment. It is a sad state of affairs that a company that found massive success by engineering superb products winnowed away its legacy and success in the relentless pursuit of increasing profits at any expense. Had they just kept up the superb engineering, we wouldn’t be reading this. I am afraid that there are many more quarters of pain for Boeing before it finds its way out of this mess.
I trying to find a member of the flying public who is not outraged at Boeing and it reckless practices.
The fact that there has not been a COMPLETE house cleaning at the senior management level is a slap in the face to anyone who has ever stepped on one of their planes.
The mantra used to be, “If it ain’t Boeing, I ain’t going!” Now, “If it’s Boeing, I ain’t going!” Amazing what one word can do. The really sad thing is management seems to still harbor the Harry Stonecypher mentality. Move the headquarters BACK to Seattle where it should be. The board of directors should not “clean house” but “flush the toilet”. Find a CEO with William Boeing’s philosophy and give that person the ability to bring back his culture of being an engineering company. Remember that after the Apollo One tragedy, Boeing was brought in to fix the program…and they did with flying colors. I agree with the comment above, the three people who will ride the “Starliner’ need to be the ones worrying! “Not gone do it! Wouldn’t be prudent!”
This is scary as hell! First I’ve been avoiding the 737 max & now I’ll have to avoid the 787 Dreamliner! What’s left the old 757s and 777s? Maybe Airbus will become our flight of choice. Disgusting that it’s come to this! All of a sudden were a 3rd world country due to Boeing & so much more.
The real problem with problem with Boeing is labor costs. Airbus is subsidized by government directly and doesn’t have to worry about breaking even operationally. The workers get paid and if they lose money, government balances the budget.
People, especially liberals, are outraged that a company is trying to be profitable.. . Ain’t nothing wrong with being able to pay back stakeholders. Building airplanes is very labor intensive and with the cost of labor going through the roof post covid, Boeing is trying to manage labor costs via labor efficiencies, which isn’t working out too great when it comes to quality control. Something you can’t fudge with when it comes to airliners.
The solution, Boeing airplanes have to go up significantly in price, which the airline needs to pass down to consumers at some point.
Key the competition from Embraer and comac. Long term, the market will become much more fragmented. Airbus ain’t immune from this issue either. Governments ability to subsidize airline production will become more limited as the EU becomes more cash strapped going forward.
An cautionary tale about what happens to a legendary company when it is taken over by Jack Walsh disciples who are dedicated to kissing Wall Street’s a**. And look where it’s gotten them. Of course, this has been brewing for 25-30 years. You don’t destroy a great institution overnight, you know. Just as Jack Walsh was happily sitting on a beach by the time GE disintigrated. Not that he gave a crap, he got his. This is the type of evil spawned when capitalism is allowed to become perverted into corporatism and it’s disgusting.
Everyone: Are you sure the wing is properly attached to the air frame?
Boeing: Eh, more of less. Don’t worry about it.
@Johnny, what do you think Boeing’s defense contracts are? They’re subsidies. It’s a model the bloc behind Airbus is looking to adopt to appease the US government. They’ll provide Airbus with less launch aid and more lavish defense contracts, just like the US does for…Boeing.
@Johnny
Don’t bring your MAGA politics into this. “People, especially liberals, are outraged that a company is trying to be profitable.. . ”
No one has any problem with profit and Boeing was always immensely profitable before they decided safety and their reputation could be sold to pad the next quarter. The culture of having to squeeze out that very last cent at the expense of literally everything else…well, here we are.
@peter
Pointing out economic realities and cultural attitudes isn’t “MAGA”. Understanding capitalism and macro economics doesn’t make me “maga”.
Are you seriously claiming that liberals don’t have a propensity to demonize the hyper fixation on profits?
The “maga” within me acknowledges that profitability truly is the end all be all, and if said product can’t be produced correctly, profitably, it doesn’t get produced at all.
What you call maga, I call sound understanding economic realities and political attitudes. All I’m saying is that Boeing is facing immense labor cost pressure which is making the ability to be profitably severely threatened. It’s understandable for them to try to save on labor expense as much as possible. Liberals demonize Boeing for even trying.
Quality control can easily be fixed with double the labor input but doing so would drastically increase the cost of an airplane that’s in a strong competitive race (b737 vs A321).
Liberals usually fail to address economic realities. Not saying all do, but is certainly pervasive amongst those that lean left.
I can’t wait to see what mild slap on the wrist the FAA will administer Boeing this time
@ Johnny. Well stated. However using facts and not emotions baffles many.
@Johnny. Their profits didn’t have any trouble at all until they got shoddy and a plane fell out of the sky, then another, then a pandemic, then a door, and now questionable wings.
Their problem is exactly that they “fixed” what wasn’t “broke”.
https://www.macrotrends.net/stocks/charts/BA/boeing/gross-profit#:~:text=Boeing%20gross%20profit%20for%20the%20twelve%20months%20ending%20December%2031,a%2015.78%25%20increase%20from%202021.
@peter
What changed drastically post pandemic? Inflation! Labor and parts supplies have gone up dramatically. It’s this attempt to control costs that’s causing quality control degradation.
This real problem isn’t Boeing as much as it’s the fault of government and the fed for causing huge monetary inflation that caused prices to bid up for labor and parts without corresponding increases in supply and efficiencies.
This quality degradation exists in many other industries in America thanks to government induced inflation.
The last place I’d want to move the Boeing headquarters back to is Seattle. I’m sure for this statement, I’ll be labeled “Ultra MAGA!”
I don’t get why everyone is so concerned. How important can it possibly be to check that the wings are attached? Probably not even a big deal.
It has always been my belief that every manager, inspector, and mechanic should be entered into a lottery to go on the first flight of each aircraft they’ve worked on.
Someone else already said it but grounding and bonding tests are about electrical pathways. They have nothing to do with the mechanical attachment of the plane’s wing to the plane’s body