FAA head says Boeing’s oversight system ‘is not working’

The head of the U.S. agency inspecting how Boeing builds planes told lawmakers the corporation's internal oversight system appeared not to be working.

The head of the American agency charged with keeping passenger planes safe told U.S. lawmakers Boeing’s internal safeguards may have failed and that its oversight system “is not working.”

Facing questions from Congress on why some Boeing planes had loose bolts, why one plane’s nose wheel rolled away just before takeoff and why a door plug was ripped out of plane while in mid-air, Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) head Michael Whitaker told the House Aviation Committee there need to be changes.

“I certainly agree the current system is not working because it’s not delivering safe aircraft, so we have to make changes to that,” he said, referring to Boeing’s internal oversight process.

Whitaker told U.S. lawmakers the FAA is looking at increasing oversight and anything else that can be done to improve airplane safety.

His appearance comes as the company faces fierce scrutiny over a serious of apparent mechanical failures, like when a door plug blew off an Alaska Airlines Boeing MAX 9 plane mid-air on Jan. 5.

Whitaker told members of the House of Representatives that about 20 FAA inspectors are at Boeing facilities, examining the processes and speaking to employees, as part of a six-week audit. He said about a half dozen inspectors are at Spirit Aerosystems, Boeing’s subcontractor that makes the door plug panel that was found to have holes improperly drilled.

He said he anticipates permanently hiring more inspectors to examine sites.

The FAA ensures the safety of civilian air travel in American airspace and is probing Boeing’s compliance with safety regulations and manufacturing processes.