U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), Chair of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation, sent a letter to Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Administrator Michael Whitaker on Saturday requesting the FAA conduct a root cause analysis to determine any deficiencies in its own oversight of aviation manufacturers.
“I have serious concerns about FAA’s audits of Boeing and its suppliers, including whether the results of these audits indicate ongoing production issues or ineffective regulatory oversight, or both,” Sen. Cantwell wrote. “While the FAA has rightly focused on Boeing’s production quality shortcomings, I am concerned about whether FAA action—or inaction—contributed to Boeing’s problems.”
“A root cause analysis would ensure both Boeing and FAA have discovered the core causes of problems, rather than just symptoms,” the letter continued. “FAA’s effective regulatory oversight is key to ensure Boeing, other aviation manufacturers, and the United States remain the gold standard for aviation safety.”
The letter follows Sen. Cantwell’s most recent Committee hearing on aviation safety, where FAA Administrator Whitaker said the agency was “too hands off” on its oversight of Boeing. Following the Alaska Airlines flight 1282 incident in January, Sen. Cantwell requested that FAA perform a special technical audit of Boeing’s production line. The FAA said the audit found multiple instances where Boeing and Spirit AeroSystems failed to comply with manufacturing quality control requirements.
Additionally, Sen. Cantwell held an April hearing to review the independent Organization Designation Authorization (ODA) Expert Review Panel’s final report, and a March hearing with National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) Chair Jennifer Homendy on its investigation of the January incident.
In May, Sen. Cantwell led the passage of the FAA Reauthorization Act of 2024, which includes new measures to improve aviation safety, such as putting more safety inspectors on factory floors, addressing the nation’s shortage of air traffic controllers, deploying new runway technology to prevent close calls, mandating new 25-hour cockpit recording systems to assist in investigations and enhancing aircraft certification reforms.
The FAA Reauthorization Act builds upon the Aircraft Certification, Safety, and Accountability Act of 2020, spearheaded by Sen. Cantwell in the aftermath of the Boeing 737 Max crashes in 2018 and 2019.