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The Federal Aviation Administration has opened a new investigation into Boeing after the already struggling American manufacturer reported that some employees at its production center in South Carolina falsified inspection records of some 787 Dreamliner planes. Boeing said its engineers verified that no “immediate safety concerns” arose.
Boeing has informed the FAA and is taking “prompt and serious corrective action,” said Scott Stocker, who heads the 787 program. In an email sent April 29 to factory employees, Stocker wrote that “After receiving the report , we quickly investigated the matter and learned that several individuals had violated company policies by not performing a requested test, but instead recording the work as completed.”
No planes have been taken out of service, but having to test non-service planes will slow delivery of planes still under construction at the final assembly plant in North Charleston.
According to what was reported by the WSJ, there could be 450 planes involved. The 787 is a two-aisle plane that debuted in 2011 and is used mainly for long-haul flights.
“The company voluntarily informed us in April that it may not have completed mandatory inspections to confirm the adequacy of connections and grounding where the wings join the fuselage on certain 787 Dreamliner aircraft,” the company said. agency in a statement.