The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has proposed civil penalties of 3,139,319 USD against Boeing for safety violations identified between September 2023 and February 2024.
The proposed fines relate in part to the 5 January 2024 incident in which a door plug detached mid-flight from a Boeing 737 MAX 9. The FAA also cited instances where the company interfered with the independence of safety oversight officials.
According to the FAA, investigations revealed hundreds of quality system violations at Boeing’s 737 production facility in Renton, Washington, and at Spirit AeroSystems’ 737 plant in Wichita, Kansas. The agency said Boeing presented two aircraft for certification that did not meet airworthiness standards and failed to follow its internal quality procedures.
In a separate finding, the FAA reported that a Boeing employee outside the company’s authorised delegation system pressured an Organisation Designation Authorisation (ODA) unit member to approve a 737 MAX despite the individual having determined that the aircraft did not comply with requirements. The agency stated that this pressure was linked to Boeing’s delivery schedule.
The FAA has applied the maximum penalties available under current law. Boeing has 30 days from receipt of the penalty letters to respond to the agency.
