CHICAGO (dpa-AFX) - The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has opened
an investigation into Boeing after the company disclosed that it may have failed
to conduct mandatory inspections relating to the wings of specific 787
Dreamliner aircraft.

The inquiry was prompted by a staff member alerting Boeing management to the
issue, which led to the company informing the FAA. The FAA has confirmed the
investigation, noting that Boeing notified them in April about possible lapses
in required inspections for ensuring proper bonding and grounding at the
wing-fuselage junction on certain 787 Dreamliner aircraft.

The FAA is also examining whether Boeing carried out the necessary inspections
and whether there was any falsification of aircraft records by company
personnel. Boeing is conducting re-inspections on all 787 aircraft still in
production and is developing a plan for addressing the operational fleet.

In an internal memo obtained by the Guardian, Scott Stocker, the Boeing
executive overseeing the 787 program, indicated that an employee flagged the
issue as 'misconduct,' although it did not pose an immediate safety hazard for
flights. However, the company is taking the matter seriously and is recognizing
the employee who raised the concern. The memo also revealed that several
individuals violated company policies by skipping a required test but documented
it as completed.

Boeing has been under scrutiny since January when an Alaska Airlines 737 Max 9
plane had to make an emergency landing due to a door plug detachment during the
flight. While the engineering team assessed the misconduct as not posing an
immediate safety risk for flights, it will impact Boeing's customers and factory
colleagues as the test now needs to be carried out of sequence on aircraft in
production.



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