Boeing’s safety culture is criticized in a new report by the FAA

A Federal Aviation Administration report released Monday found shortcomings in Boeing’s safety culture, noting that the aircraft manufacturer had made some improvements since two fatal crashes involving the 737 Max 8 plane in 2018 and 2019.

The report, written by a group of experts that met a year ago at the behest of Congress, found that there was a “disconnect” between senior management and other employees at Boeing. The panel found that the company was at times “inadequate and confusing” in the way it implemented its safety culture.

In a statement, the FAA said it would “immediately begin a thorough review of the report” and take action on the recommendations as appropriate.

“We will continue to hold Boeing to the highest safety standards and will ensure the company fully implements these recommendations,” the agency said.

Boeing said in a statement that it supported the panel’s assessment and has taken “important steps” to improve its safety culture, although it acknowledged that “there is still more work to be done.”

New concerns about the company’s safety culture arose last month after a panel blew open on a Boeing 737 Max 9 plane during an Alaska Airlines flight. The new FAA report does not reference that incident, but the National Transportation Safety Board has said the panel, known as a door plug, on the Alaska plane appears to be missing crucial bolts to hold it in place.

The FAA panel made 53 recommendations, based on a review of thousands of pages of Boeing documents and more than 250 interviews. The recommendations include urging Boeing to better communicate and define the language it uses in strengthening safety and to do more to reassure employees that their anonymity will be protected when they report concerns or problems.

Internally, Boeing has encouraged employees to be proactive in protecting safety and other principles the company values, urging them to “Seek, Speak and Listen.” But the panel found that ‘little or no attention had been paid to searching or listening’.