Boeing faces $3.1M fine for door plug blowout, hundreds of safety violations

The Federal Aviation Administration on Friday proposed fines of $3.1 million against Boeing for various safety violations related to the January 2024 door plug blowout and what the FAA called "interference with safety officials' independence." An FAA statement said the proposed fine covers "safety violations that occurred from September 2023 through February 2024," and is the "maximum statutory civil penalty authority consistent with law." Boeing, which reported $22.7 billion in revenue and a net loss of $612 million last quarter, has 30 days to file a response with the agency. "The FAA identified hundreds of quality system violations at Boeing's 737 factory in Renton, Washington, and Boeing subcontractor Spirit AeroSystems' 737 factory in Wichita, Kansas. Additionally, Boeing presented two unairworthy aircraft to the FAA for airworthiness certificates and failed to follow its quality system," the FAA said. The FAA said that a Boeing safety official faced pressure to sign off on an aircraft that did not meet standards. The employee is part of the Boeing ODA [Organization Designation Authorization] unit that performs functions the FAA delegated to the company. The FAA said it "found that a non-ODA Boeing employee pressured a Boeing ODA unit member to sign off on a Boeing 737-MAX airplane so Boeing could meet its delivery schedule, even though the ODA member determined the aircraft did not comply with applicable standards." Boeing's ODA process has faced criticism for years. A 2021 Inspector General report found that "the Boeing ODA process and structure do not ensure ODA personnel are adequately independent." Boeing “encouraging employees to speak up” Boeing provided Ars with a statement on the FAA-proposed fine. "We regret the January 2024 door-plug accident and continue to work on strengthening our safety culture and improving first-time quality and accountability across our operations," Boeing said. "Last year, under the oversight of the FAA, we instituted a Safety & Quality Plan with key performance indicators to enhance safety management and quality assurance in airplane production. Our team continues to implement these improvements, such as investing in workforce training, strengthening production system compliance and encouraging employees to speak up."