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Boeing Employees’ Safety Independence Under Scrutiny by U.S. FAA
U.S. aviation regulators are opening a new review of Boeing Co. after a survey of company engineers found a sizable percentage said they couldn’t raise safety concerns without interference. A survey conducted by the Federal Aviation Administration from May through July found that 35% of Boeing employees raised issues of conflicts of interest and a lack of independence, according to an Aug. 19 letter from the head of the agency division overseeing the company. The FAA action is the latest to look… (www.msn.com) Mais...Sort type: [Top] [Newest]
@DGR Rathbone - In the old days, including at Boeing, one of the most respected and critical jobs was that of inspector. I grew up around aviation and my Dad told me once “You can learn everything you need to know about an aircraft company by talking to their inspectors.” I know from talking with several retired Boeing inspectors that the culture there looks at inspectors as barriers to delivery not safety and quality assurance people. Awful.
I was a insperctor for mcair then boeing during EMD hornet testing, if we had a concern we took it up to the QA forman then his boss would fight it out with the production super. never would a unsafe plane leave our care. period... the navy did not stand for unsafe products.
I remember when Boeing decided to make the inspection dept fall under production, that lasted about 2 hrs when NAVAIR put the squash to any talk about that. Production and QA will always be separate departments being active duty or contractor
Hello Bob , The same bench mark is often true for the airlines . The quality of an airline often falls on the quality of the staff inspectors , within the maintenance departments . But here again , the failings of inspectors , and quality of mainatnence often is exposed as poor when the airline suffers an accident . Then when the National Inspectors come in to see what happened , such as the NTSB , the short comings are publicly exposed . It is often a major blow to the airlines . But in the airline that my family worked for , they strived for the best . I'm not saying that short cuts or cost doesn't often get involved in the duties of inspectors . But when a company just simply over rides the inspectors and just has them rubber stamping documents , then there is a corparate failure . This situation must be changed ....Thanks for your reply Bob .......DGR
"For myself , it is a sad day when a Company ,such as Boeing ,that has had such a stellar reputation , has been dragged into the same muck as others." I think you have been naive or simply not listening (reading) to say this. Boeing has been accused of this for years and does not have a "stellar reputation" when it comes to covering up issues of safety, putting undo pressure on regulators, politicians, and playing fairly with other companies. They are indeed like other companies that are trying to make a profit.
Hello Jeff , Thanks for your reply . I have taken it to heart your comments and would like to reply . I've been alive for a while ,and had the good fortune of growing up in an airline family . I remember the days , of prototypes of the 720 and 747 and many others . In those days , when Boeing operated under the oversight of the FAA , Boeing produced not only good aircraft , but when they said their aircraft where safe , you could beat the house on it . It was a similar story for airforce models , like , for instance , the B-52 . The quality and safety that went into a Boeing aircraft , was highly regarded and often above reproach . I'm thoughtful about my comments , and i am not just shooting off my mouth . But Boeings recent calamities involving multiple models both civilian and military , shows that something has really changed . Jeff ,i don't beleive that i am nieve . I'm just looking back over what ways a stellar reputation , to what is now suspect . But thank-you Jeff for your response .........DGR
Then we , as a society , are aghast at the disclosure . But really , when we think about , it is of no surprise , that an organization that has been given the right to handle its' own affairs , will bend , break , bury and deny its bad behaviour . For myself , it is a sad day when a Company ,such as Boeing ,that has had such a stellar reputation , has been dragged into the same muck as others . But thats life . If it sells aircraft ,then the end ,justifies the means .