FAA investigating after Boeing says workers falsified inspection records

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) wants to know whether Boeing workers properly inspected the area where wings attach to the fuselages of 787 Dreamliners and whether anyone falsified records about doing so.

Boeing actually brought this to the FAA’s attention last month after, according to a letter from Boeing 787 chief Scott Stocker, an employee told Boeing managers that some workers were skipping the required inspections, most notably the completed requirements to confirm adequate bonding and grounding where the wings join the fuselage on certain 787 Dreamliner airplanes.

Stocker wrote in a statement that after receiving the report, they reviewed it and learned that “several people had been violating company policies by not performing a required test, but recording the work as having been completed.”

As you all know, we have zero tolerance for not following processes designed to ensure quality and safety. We promptly informed our regulator about what we learned and are taking swift and serious corrective action with multiple teammates.

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The FAA said Boeing is reinspecting all 787s that are still in its production system and coming up with a plan to fix its inspection process.

Stocker’s statement said the company’s engineering team has assessed that “this misconduct did not create an immediate safety of flight issue.”

However, the federal agency concluded its statement by saying it will take “any necessary action – as always – to ensure the safety of the flying public.”

No planes have been taken out of service, but having to perform the test out of order on planes will slow the delivery of jets still being built at the final assembly plant in North Charleston, South Carolina.

The 787 is a two-aisle plane that debuted in 2011 and is used mostly for long international flights.

The company has been under intense pressure since a door plug blew out of a Boeing 737 Max during an Alaska Airlines flight in January, leaving a gaping hole in the plane. The accident halted the progress that Boeing seemed to be making while recovering from two deadly crashes of Max jets in 2018 and 2019.

Contributing: Steve Coogan, MyNorthwest; The Associated Press

Heather Bosch is an award-winning anchor and reporter on KIRO Newsradio. You can read more of her stories here. Follow Heather on X, formerly known as Twitter, or email her here.

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