FAA Investigates Both Major Airplane Manufacturers

17.06.2024 - 22:03 / travelpulse.com / Rich Thomaselli

Now both major airplane manufacturers are under scrutiny.

The Federal Aviation Administration is investigating whether documents were falsified pertaining to the use of titanium in the manufacture of some airplanes by Boeing and Airbus, the New York Times reported.

Titanium is used to make landing gear, blades and turbine discs for aircraft. Needless to say, it is a critical component.

The investigation comes in the wake of a parts supplier who reported a potential problem in the manufacturing process, possibly from corrosion.

Previously, a small manufacturer, CFM International, disclosed that thousands of its engine components might have been sold with falsified documentation by a British distributor. So clearly there is a precedent here and the FAA is concerned.

Republican Senator Chuck Grassley is now stepping up his probe of the January 5 incident in which a door panel manufactured by Boeing blew off in Alaska Airlines jet in midflight, saying Boeing and the FAA “must explain how this happened and what is being done to ensure that it does not place the lives of Americans at risk again.” 

He asked 38 questions of Boeing and the FAA “requesting records of safety procedures, regulatory requirements, corrective actions (and) whistleblower protections.”

Boeing is already under investigation from the FAA, the National Transportation Safety Board and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

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