US regulator to revamp safety programme after Boeing crisis

FAA administrator says plane maker 'must make significant changes to transform its quality system'

FAA administrator Mike Whitaker testifies before the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure Subcommittee on Aviation. AP

The Federal Aviation Administration is working to revamp its oversight process after a door plug detached mid-flight on a Boeing 737 Max jet earlier this year, the head of the US agency said on Tuesday.

“We must be proactive and establish more dynamic oversight protocols that address changing technologies and changing business models and allow us to identify and mitigate risks before they manifest themselves as events,” FAA administrator Mike Whitaker said in prepared testimony.

“As a first step, we are re-evaluating our current safety oversight model and establishing a strategy to revamp our agency-wide safety management programme.”

Mr Whitaker also said the FAA is examining different ways to use internal and external data “to become more predictive in identifying risks across the aviation system”.

The FAA has faced criticism for failing to identify manufacturing and safety issues at Boeing, which resurfaced after the panel blew out on the Alaska Airlines 737 Max plane in January. The incident prompted the authority to temporarily ground about 171 737-9 Max planes.

Speaking to a US House subcommittee, Mr Whitaker said the agency should have been more proactive in its oversight process of Boeing before the incident. He is due to deliver testimony before a US Senate committee on Wednesday.

The FAA has added more safety inspectors at Boeing and its supplier Spirit Aerosystems. He said the agency is also reviewing Boeing's performance metrics to evaluate the health of its production system.

During a series of audits after the January incident, Mr Whittaker said the findings “revealed that the quality system issues at Boeing were unacceptable and required further scrutiny”. The FAA responded by capping the production of new Boeing 737 Max jets, increased data monitoring and directed the company to provide a safety action plan to address the issues. Boeing presented the FAA with a safety quality plan in May.

Mr Whitaker said the FAA directed Boeing to identify six crucial performance indicators – including how much work is done “out of order in the manufacturing process” – to provide real-time visibility and potentially trigger corrective action.

He added that Boeing's safety system must comprise “multiple layers” to detect and mitigate risks because of the company's complex system spanning numerous plants and thousands of supplies.

“Boeing must make significant changes to transform its quality system and ensure the right layers of safety are in place,” he said.

Mr Whitaker, who recently met with Boeing's new chief executive Kelly Ortberg, also reiterated that the FAA would hold Boeing accountable to have procedures in place to ensure it safely delivers aeroplanes.

Strikes halt production

Tuesday's hearing comes as a strike of more than 30,000 Boeing employees, now in its second week, has halted much of the company's aircraft production.

The labour union representing the 33,000 employees rejected Boeing's most recent offer of a 30 per cent wage increase. Boeing said its “best and final” proposal was contingent upon ratification by Friday 11.59pm PT, but the union said the time frame did not give them enough time to present the details to members or secure “all voting locations”.

The union also said the offer was not negotiated with them.

“These direct dealing tactics are a huge mistake, damage the negotiation process, and attempt to go around and bypass your Union negotiating committee,” the union said.

Last week, Boeing said it would temporarily furlough tens of thousands of employees during the strike.