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US states FAA oversight of Boeing production 'ineffective'

A federal guard dog on Friday criticized the Federal Aviation Administration's. oversight of Boeing aircraft production, stating it does. not have an efficient system to oversee the planemaker's. private manufacturing facilities.

The Transport Department's Workplace of Inspector General. stated in a report the FAA's present audit processes are not. detailed enough to properly determine crucial disparities. and noncompliances within the Boeing assembly line and said. the FAA has not resolved longstanding weak points in Boeing's. oversight of suppliers in spite of long-known risks.

The FAA's oversight of Boeing has gotten new scrutiny after. a door plug missing crucial bolts blew off a new Alaska Airlines. 737 MAX 9 jet at 16,000 feet in January, prompting the. Justice Department to open a criminal investigation.

The report issued 16 recommendations. The FAA said it. concurs with all of them and is committed to continuously. enhancing our oversight procedures. The FAA added it is. presently conducting a detailed, systemwide evaluation of our. oversight designs.. The report stated the FAA has actually not been able to fix accusations. of excessive pressure on Boeing employees acting upon FAA's behalf in. a prompt fashion since it has not enforced requirements that. Boeing supply adequate information on the accusations.

Boeing did not instantly comment.

The report that evaluated oversight of the Boeing 737 and. 787 said the FAA has yet to move from a reactive approach. focused on addressing private manufacturing issues to a more. proactive, data-driven model to identify and resolve risk within. Boeing's manufacturing processes at all levels.. A series of reports in the last few years have raised concerns about. the FAA's oversight of Boeing. Last month, a U.S. Senate panel. examining Boeing's culture faulted oversight by the Federal. Air travel Administration mentioning files obtained in a continuous. investigation.

FAA Administrator Mike Whitaker said last month he will. revamp its own safety management program. He said formerly the. company was too hands off in oversight of Boeing before. January. He took the unmatched step in January of disallowing. Boeing from expanding 737 MAX production until he pleased they. have actually made substantial quality enhancements.

(source: Reuters)