Boeing slammed in oversight report on Dreamliner design flaws
The US House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure released a 238-page report which detailed multiple missteps by Boeing in the development of the troubled 737 Max.
The report comes as regulators are getting closer to recertifying the planes. The 737 Max has been grounded since March 2019, after two fatal crashes that killed 346 people.
The report found that Boeing prioritised profits over safety and detailed “disturbing cultural issues” relating to employee surveys showing some experienced “undue pressure” as the manufacturer raced to finish the plane to compete with rival Airbus.
“They were the horrific culmination of a series of faulty technical assumptions by Boeing’s engineers, a lack of transparency on the part of Boeing’s management, and grossly insufficient oversight by the FAA – the pernicious result of regulatory capture on the part of the FAA with respect to its responsibilities to perform robust oversight of Boeing and to ensure the safety of the flying public”, the report said.
Boeing recently discovered flaws on some 787 Dreamliners, prompting inspections that have slowed deliveries of the aircraft.