WASHINGTON (CN) — The Federal Aviation Administration is investigating whether Boeing employees falsified records and failed to complete mandatory safety inspections on some of the company's 787 Dreamliner jets.
Boeing told the agency voluntarily in April that inspectors might not have confirmed adequate bonding and grounding where wings join the fuselage on the jets, the FAA said Monday.
Investigators are probing whether employees failed to conduct the inspections and then falsified records to say they were completed.
Boeing will reinspect all 787 planes still in production and create a plan to inspect planes already in operation.
“As the investigation continues, the FAA will take any necessary action — as always — to ensure the safety of the flying public,” the agency said in a statement.
In response to the news, Boeing provided media outlets with an April 29 email sent to employees by Scott Stocker, 787 vice president and general manager at Boeing’s assembly plant in North Charleston, South Carolina.
Stocker wrote that an employee reported concerns with a required 787 safety test. He said that after receiving the report, "we quickly reviewed the matter and learned that several people had been violating Company policies by not performing a required test, but recording the work as having been completed."
It’s the latest blow to the airline manufacturer that’s faced mounting criticism over its safety protocols, including by multiple whistleblowers who are publicly sounding the alarm.
Last year, the FAA grounded all 737-9 Max jets for inspection after Alaska Airlines and United Airlines reported finding loose bolts on door plugs for some of their planes.
In January, the FAA announced a probe when a fuselage panel ripped off an Alaska Airlines shortly after takeoff. No one was seriously injured in the accident, but it prompted a Justice Department investigation.
Boeing’s woes have also prompted concern from major airlines frustrated with quality control.
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