The head of the Federal Aviation Administration has acknowledged his agency should have been more aware of problems at Boeing before a door plug blew off a 737 Max jet during an Alaska Airlines flight in January.

The top U.S. aviation regulator said Thursday that the Federal Aviation Administration should have been more aware of manufacturing problems inside Boeing before a panel blew off a 737 Max during an Alaska Airlines flight in January.

“FAA’s approach was too hands-off — too focused on paperwork audits and not focused enough on inspections,” FAA Administrator Mike Whitaker told a Senate committee.

Whitaker said that since the Jan. 5 blowout on the Alaska jetliner, the FAA has changed to “more active, comprehensive oversight” of Boeing. That includes, as he has said before, putting more inspectors in factories at Boeing and its chief supplier on the Max, Spirit AeroSystems.

Whitaker made the comments while his agency, the Justice Department and the National Transportation Safety Board continue investigations into the giant aircraft manufacturer. The FAA has limited Boeing’s production of 737 Max jets to 38 per month, but the company is building far fewer than that while it tries to fix quality-control problems.

  • RubberDuck@lemmy.world
    18·
    15 days ago

    This is what politicians mean when they say small government. Gut all agencies tasked with oversight except the police.

      • RubberDuck@lemmy.world
        2·
        14 days ago

        Yes they where, and the FDA, but not the FBI (although post Trump they do… but move the funds to Homeland security)

        Here in the Netherlands our Liberal party (VVD) supported by christian democrats (CDA) and the current ruling party (PVV)… all right wingers. Did something similar, when in charge. They declared the housing market “fixed” and said that the commercial market would resolve any housing issues left. They proceeded to close down the whole branch of government the Ministry of housing. That was in 2010. Now 24 years later, houses are at their most expensive and the shortages ar at their highest ever. It is estimated it will take till at least 2038 to fix the issue.

        So… (Corporate) fatcats got fatter, people are paying a larger share of their income for a roof over their heads… but the government was smaller for 24 years and all those house value increases made the GDP look Soo nice.