The Federal Aviation Administration opened a new investigation into Boeing after the planemaker told the regulator it may have skipped required inspections involving the wings of some 787 Dreamliners.
In a statement Monday, the FAA said it learned of the problem from Boeing last month. As part of its investigation, the agency said it was investigating whether company employees may have falsified aircraft records.
The FAA said Boeing was re-inspecting all Dreamliners still in production and that the company needed to create a plan to address the planes already in service.
“As the investigation continues, the FAA will take necessary steps, as always, to ensure the safety of the flying public,” the statement said.
Boeing did not comment on the agency’s statement, but the company shared an email on the subject that an executive sent last week to employees in South Carolina, where it makes the Dreamliner. In that message, the executive said Boeing had determined there was no immediate risk to the safety of the flight.
The investigation adds to the scrutiny Boeing has faced since a door panel exploded on a 737 Max while flying in January, damaging the company’s reputation and drawing the attention of federal regulators. The FAA launched a separate investigation after that incident, which occurred during an Alaska Airlines flight, and the Justice Department opened a criminal investigation.
The FAA has also said it is investigating claims by a Boeing whistleblower that the company has taken shortcuts in Dreamliner production that could cause the airframe to fail prematurely. The new investigation into the inspections is unrelated to the whistleblower’s allegations, which he testified at a Senate hearing last month.
The issue the FAA is investigating was first identified by a Boeing employee, according to the email sent last week. The message’s author, Scott Stocker, an executive who oversees manufacturing and safety, said an investigation into employee concerns found that “several” workers had skipped required tests but recorded them as completed.
Stocker said Boeing was taking “swift and serious” action to address the workers’ conduct and had quickly informed the FAA of its findings. He also praised the employee for raising the concern in the first place. “It’s critical that each of us speak up when we see something that may not look right or needs attention,” he said.
Boeing has tried to encourage more employees to speak up about quality concerns in the months since the Alaska Airlines flight incident. The pilots landed that plane without serious injuries to those on board, but federal investigators later said it appeared the plane had left the Boeing factory without the necessary bolts to secure the door panel in place.
The episode raised questions about Boeing’s quality control practices. The company has taken a number of steps in response, including adding inspections, increasing training and encouraging employees to speak out. The plane maker recently said it had seen a five-fold increase in submissions to an internal portal where employees can report concerns.