Addressing Concerns Over Flying Safety: Federal Regulators Taking Steps to Reassure the Public Amid Recent Incidents Involving Boeing Planes
The White House stated on Friday that federal regulators are taking comprehensive measures to alleviate the concerns of Americans regarding aviation safety following a series of noteworthy incidents involving Boeing aircraft.
During a press briefing, Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre was asked directly whether President Joe Biden feels it is safe to fly. However, she declined to offer a definitive answer and instead emphasized the FAA’s efforts to enhance safety oversight of Boeing.
Jean-Pierre stated, “The American people should know that the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is taking actions to ensure increased safety oversight of Boeing. This is what Americans should find reassuring.”
The FAA’s initiatives come after several unsettling occurrences involving planes manufactured by Boeing. One such incident involved a Latam Airlines Boeing 787 Dreamliner flight from Australia to New Zealand, in which a flight attendant may have mistakenly triggered switches on the pilot’s seat while serving a meal. The unintended action caused the pilot to inadvertently assume control, leading to injuries for numerous passengers.
The Wall Street Journal reported the incident on Friday, but News Finder has yet to independently confirm these findings. Boeing issued a statement regarding the matter, stating “The investigation of Flight LA800 is ongoing, and we defer to the investigative authorities on any potential findings. We have taken the precautionary measure of reminding 787 operators of a service bulletin issued in 2017, which included instructions for inspecting and maintaining switches on flight deck seats.”
Another incident occurred in January when a door plug blew out on a Boeing-manufactured Alaska Airlines flight, leaving an extensive hole in the plane’s fuselage. This incident resulted in a temporary grounding of certain 737 Max jets and triggered a series of congressional hearings, production and delivery delays, multiple federal investigations, including a criminal probe, and a significant stock price decline for the company. The market valuation of Boeing has dropped by over $40 billion since then.
The plug incident renewed concerns about the safety of Boeing commercial jets, a record that included two fatal crashes in 2018 and 2019 that claimed the lives of 346 people. Boeing has accepted legal liability for those crashes, which were attributed to a design flaw in the 737 Max.
The Department of Justice is currently investigating whether these more recent Boeing issues could potentially violate the controversial deferred prosecution agreement that the company reached in 2021. Such a violation could expose the company to potential criminal liability.
An FAA audit of Boeing since the Alaska Air flight discovered multiple non-compliance issues in Boeing’s manufacturing process control, parts handling and storage, and product control. The FAA has given Boeing 90 days to create a plan to rectify its quality issues, which the company is reportedly working on implementing.
Jean-Pierre stated that Biden “believes it is safe to fly” following the January incident. Additionally, Air Force One, which is manufactured by Boeing, continues to be in operation.
