Mounting concerns and whistleblower complaints about Boeing’s safety protocols have the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) rethinking its oversight approach, the agency’s chief said on Sept. 25.
Testifying before the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, FAA Administrator Michael Whitaker said he felt the agency had been “too reactive” in its oversight of the airplane manufacturer.
“I think, overall, with the oversight system that we’ve had, it’s been too static and not dynamic enough to adjust to circumstances that change. So it may stay in place until it doesn’t work anymore, and that’s not the right approach,” Whitaker said.
“It needs to change as circumstances change. So, we’re revisiting that approach, not just for the overseeing manufacturers but all aspects of the national airspace.”
Whitaker took the helm of the FAA in October 2023—a few months before the Jan. 5 Alaska Airlines incident in which a door panel blew off of a Boeing 737 Max 9 jetliner midflight.
After that incident, the FAA capped Boeing’s production at 38 Max planes per month so that “they cannot grow to where they need to grow” without consistently meeting six safety metrics, Whitaker said.
“If they don’t do that, they don’t grow, and if they don’t grow, they’re not going to be able to achieve profitability.”
While acknowledging Whitaker’s short tenure in his role, senators did not hesitate to press the administrator on whether his agency’s relationship with Boeing had contributed to the company’s recent safety issues.
Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) noted that problems with Boeing’s Maneuvering Characteristics Augmentation System (MCAS) appeared to have contributed to two Boeing plane crashes in October 2018 and March 2019.
“In hindsight, it seemed like that MCAS system was a real challenge, and people knew the issue, correct?” Johnson asked Whitaker.
The official replied that he had done “a fair amount of digging” on that and the consensus was that Boeing withheld vital safety information from the FAA during the certification process for the MCAS system.
“Do you think the FAA was not aggressive enough or firm enough?” Johnson pressed. “Was there too cozy a relationship? Was this industry capture of a regulatory agency that Boeing felt they could withhold that information?”
Whitaker replied: “That’s not my impression.”
Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) likewise expressed concern that there might be “this sort of fratty culture between the FAA and Boeing” that had allowed Boeing to get too comfortable.
“We need tough oversight there, and we’re counting on you to provide that,” Hawley said.
The document reveals that the FAA found 97 instances where Boeing allegedly failed to comply with federal regulations and its own procedures.
Boeing has also come under fire for its alleged retaliation against whistleblowers who have come forward with safety concerns.
Citing one whistleblower’s claims of being relegated to a lesser role after speaking out, Hawley asked Whitaker if he was aware of any such retaliation.
“I’m aware of allegations of retaliation, and it has been a focus as we look at the safety culture change that has to happen,” the official said, emphasizing his support for a “robust” whistleblower program at the FAA.
Whitaker added that the agency brings in the Department of Labor and Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) for every reported case of retaliation.
The hearing marked the Senate committee’s third in its ongoing probe of Boeing’s safety culture.
Boeing did not immediately return a request for comment.
