FAA Expert Panel Finds Boeing Safety Culture ‘Inadequate and Confusing’

The report also found a ‘lack of awareness of safety-related metrics at all levels of the organization.’

Alaska Airlines N704AL, a 737 Max 9, which made an emergency landing at Portland International Airport on Jan. 5, is parked on the tarmac in Portland, Ore., on Jan. 23, 2024. Patrick T. Fallon/AFP

A panel of experts appointed by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to investigate troubled plane manufacturer Boeing’s safety management processes has found “gaps” in its “safety journey” and a “disconnect” between senior management and employees.

The FAA published its 50-page report on Feb. 26, noting its experts had identified 27 areas where Boeing’s safety procedures and culture were insufficient and that they did not find “objective evidence of a foundational commitment to safety that matched Boeing’s descriptions of that objective.”