Boeing Corporation is desperately trying to save itself by its commitments to heal their organization, caught up in a wake of a global controversy that was created due to loss of so many lives.
By Nazarul Islam
America’s Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is the sole government agency—federal regulatory body, empowered with authority, having a direct access to aviation industry’s technical data. By legislation, this is the country’s aviation watchdog, competent to issue a final ruling on coverups, investigations and findings on the failures of the country’s largest aircraft manufacturer—the Boeing Corporation. An investigation was ordered in the aftermath of the shocking June 12 crash of Air India flight AI171 in Ahmedabad that had involved a Boeing 787-8. After days of suspense and silence, the FAA’s official verdict has been made public.
What the American aviation industry did not expect was an early rebuttal or a counter attack from the very agency (FAA)—that had enjoyed public trust. In view of America’s changing public opinion, the FAA was forced into the back foot. The consensus was in line with public opinion. This powerful body can no longer be allowed to risk its years of goodwill. The FAA would not provide another cover up for the failures of Boeing Corporation.
Public opinion has shifted, after repeated accidents of Boeing aircrafts, resulting in loss of precious human lives. Americans now believe that the Corporation has failed badly in maintaining prescribed safety standards, relevant to the development and manufacture of modern day Boeing aircrafts.
Instead of protecting the Boeing Corporation, or offering reassurances, the FAA has quietly sent an official report containing hundreds of pages, along with a list of issues, highlighting irregularities, safety violations and loopholes carried out by the Corporation, to facilitate timely production of aircraft orders.
The process of manufacturing was boosted at the factory through hurriedly employed measures, sacrificing safety protocols. Additionally, this report includes a series of alleged technical violations in the production line that compromised safety standards. Investigators have detected an alarming neglect in maintenance issues related to the 787 aircraft production.
Above all, the FAA report has exposed a deeply fractured manufacturing culture of the Boeing Corporation.
Obviously, this Official Report was published on government pressure that had mounted in the wake of frequent mishaps in land and air, which over time had caused public uproar. Boeing 787 is not an ordinary aircraft. It is a state of the art flying machine that constitutes the backbone of international operations for today’s leading global airlines.
Read: Air India plane crashes in Ahmedabad with 242 people on board Boeing 787
Boeing equipment versions 787, 787-8, 787-9 and 787-10 have been praised to be today’s modern marvels in service, operated by America’s flag carriers United Airlines and American Airlines. These aircrafts have played a vital role in facilitating air travel of airline passengers. Therefore, any adverse news related to the Dreamliner, is likely to cause a serious impact on customer confidence on air travel.
The FAA’s technical investigation has also laid bare a troubling truth that is ripping apart the credibility of Boeing Corporation. At its huge manufacturing facility located in South Carolina, some employees had failed to perform, yet had reported satisfactory completion and compliance. The ongoing priorities in assembly line, reportedly veered away from protocols, exposing traveling passengers and crew members to serious risks of air safety.
Consequently, the FAA was forced to issue a mandatory order to re-inspect the quality in areas of aircraft’s electrical connections, bonding and integration that shields the equipment from the aircraft’s grounding between the wings and the fuselage. Short cuts adopted by technicians, did not stop here.
In its report, the FAA confirmed that the Boeing Corporation admitted having incorrectly installed the bolts in the nose section of over 100 stored Boeing 787, thereby creating unwanted systemic errors.
In the light of these findings, Boeing certification authority for ‘dream liner’ airworthiness, earlier granted to facilitate the manufactures in January of 2021, has now been revoked. The FAA has assumed its responsibility and henceforth, this regulatory body shall certify each aircraft directly, before it leaves the factory. Nevertheless, the buck does not stop here.
Not long ago, the FAA was constrained to issue an emergency airworthiness directive for 158 Boeing 787 dream liners currently operating in the US, in the face of extremely dangerous technical errors, which had reportedly compromised aircraft’s operational safety. It was also observed that the pilot seat could automatically slide, rolling itself out of position during regular flights.
Pilots and crew members had reported that the seat could unexpectedly slide when the aircraft changed altitude or experienced turbulence, causing pilots to temporarily lose ability to reach and control sensitive flight instruments. The pilots were forced to readjust their posture, causing a serious distraction in controlling the aircraft.
Just imagine the horrific consequences if a pilot had to struggle to adjust their seat while the aircraft unfortunately had to encounter urgent problems of flight management quickly during takeoff or landing. Air India Flight AI 171, crash had further damaged Boeing’s image and credibility.
A special report commissioned by US Congress had in the recent past, painted a grim picture of the corporation’s internal workings, a lack of accountability, transparency, focusing particularly their lack of a safety culture although Boeing had tried many ways and had even pleaded with the head of the FAA to be forgiven for the Corporation’s alleged failures.
Straightforwardly, Boeing Corporation needs a fundamental cultural change, prioritizing safety, and quality above all profit metrics. Undoubtedly, Boeing had by choice, immersed itself in an unprecedented crisis.
A deep audit was conducted by the FAA after a recent door, plug blowout that had seriously threatened the lives of passengers and crew members flying an Alaskan Airlines. Furthermore, it had exposed grave risks in the aftermath of discovery of a series of terrifying violations in the Boeing‘s production-line. The main supplier of parts and components —Spirit Systems, had failed to maintain the technical specifications and sizes of the aircraft parts.
Out of 89 quality control tests conducted on the parts provided by Corporation’s suppliers, the problematic aircraft parts had failed in 43, ranging from component storage errors to shortened assembly processes that were allowed to continue due to management’s lack of strict supervision.
All this has pointed to an out of control production line. The worst among findings the FAA identified, was granting too much self-oversight authority to Boeing Corporation. A system was allowed to exist, in which Boeing employees would be required to focus solely on manufacturing activities, without watchdog intervention. The Boeing Corporation were granted the privilege, to certify airworthiness and safety of their Aircrafts rolling out of the production line. However, the Corporation management had allegedly remained silent about serious technical issues is system. Allegedly, the Corporation suppressed safety warnings brought to light by technical supervisors.
Oversight failures inside the manufacturing facility may have resulted not only in the loss of hundreds of lives, it had also cost the reputation of the entire American aviation Empire that was built in a hundred years aviation progress. The story of John Barnett a former Boeing quality engineer is a bitter testament to this.
In the light of his public disclosure that the dream liner 787 had carried many dangerous manufacturing defects, with metal fragments suspended in the electrical system, and inspection procedures that had been unfortunately circumvented.
Barnett had submitted confidential reports and filed his complaints. The matter was hushed up, and later dismissed. Not surprisingly, when he was about to testify a lawsuit against Boeing Corporation, he was found dead in a hotel. What complicated matters was the declaration that his death was the result of an act suicide.
The public did not believe piece was f news, on account of suspicious timing. After the air door blowout on Alaska airlines, public opinion seemed to have only a single assessment—that Boeing had gone too far to the point. This time, their friends at the FAA could not shield the truth any more.
Whatever had been the circumstances of the love story between Boeing and the FAA is currently being scrutinized after the shocking Air India’s crash involving a Being 787-8. This happened on June 12 this year in Ahmadabad. Tragically, the accident snatched away the lives of 260 people. In view of this horrific tragedy, the FAA adopted a harsh and more uncharacteristic and harsher tone against the Corporation.
So, whatever is happening now with the FAE? Another question needs to be asked. Is the FAA betraying their old friends in Boeing Corporation? According to many policy experts, pressure from the federal government and the US Congress has put the FAA under enormous stress, to the extent that it can no longer ignore this.
Boeing aircraft have been involved in tragic accidents, taking toll of human lives. There has been public outrage, particularly aired through a very loud media that is questioning FAA‘s alleged past protection of Boeing Corporation. Perhaps, this could have driven FAA to self-Emulation. Should the FAA continue to cover up further, the regulatory body will be deemed to be complicit? This was pointed out by a former investigator from the US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), at the NBC news story.
People from different walks of life hold different opinions, and do believe the FAA is not betraying public or national interests. Boeing Corporation is desperately trying to save itself by its commitments to heal their organization, caught up in a wake of a global controversy that was created due to loss of so many lives.
The Boeing Corporation has promised to intensify inspections, revamp corporate culture, and demand reforms while the FAA endeavors to regain public trust before a possible collapse of this global entity.
The idea is not to leave the burden of liabilities solely on Boeing Corporation. This will obviously mark the end of a prestigious institution. However, if serious efforts are made to revamp and reform the Corporation, there is a fair chance of its revival and survival. Let’s not forget the FAA is sacrificing its privileged relationship with Boeing to preserve something more important —that is public trust, and it’s independent regulatory status.
Should the FAA lose credibility every flight in America will be looked upon with skepticism and concern? No one wants that to happen. Aviation experts believe that the manner in which the FAA had tried to assist Boeing for many years, has contributed to the Corporation’s current crisis,
Boeing and the FAA have remained inseparable and integral components as well as the driving force of America’s aviation. Boeing is by far, the largest aircraft manufacturer in the US and source of the nation l’s industrial pride. On the other hand, the FAA also remains an aviation regulatory agency supposedly independent, but widely considered lenient with Boeing Corporation.
Americans need to re-examine the entangled relationship between the FAA and Boeing. We have recognized that Boeing has a history of 100 years, not just as an aircraft manufacturing corporation. Boeing is also a symbol of American prestige, therefore aggressive regulatory reaction could affect national pride. Like a favorite child of the government, the Boeing Corporation has continuously received lucrative, subsidies.
Read: Romancing the (hot-air) balloon
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The Bengal-born writer Nazarul Islam is a senior educationist based in USA. He writes for Sindh Courier and the newspapers of Bangladesh, India and America. He is author of a recently published book ‘Chasing Hope’ – a compilation of his articles.
