Panel Says Boeing Safety Efforts Fall Short --- After their review, industry, government experts offer list of 53 recommendations

"Boeing's push to improve its safety culture after two 737 MAX crashes is falling short, according to a panel tasked with reviewing the plane maker's practices following the accidents.

The independent panel established by the Federal Aviation Administration found a disconnect between Boeing's senior management and others at the company over safety matters. A panel report issued on Monday also cited insufficient safeguards to prevent retaliation against employees who flag safety issues.

The January blowout of a door plug on an Alaska Airlines 737 MAX 9 occurred as the panel was finishing its report. The report didn't address that or other specific issues that arose but said: "These quality issues amplified the expert panel's concerns that the safety-related messages or behaviors are not being implemented across the entire Boeing population."

The panel, composed of government and industry experts in aviation, issued 53 recommendations. They include expanding systems for factory workers to voluntarily report safety problems. The panel also recommended creating an investigation procedure to protect employees against retaliation.

The Federal Aviation Administration regularly delegates some tasks to Boeing employees, who have at times said they feel undue pressure from company management. Boeing has said it has made changes to prevent such interference. Even so, there are still "opportunities for retaliation to occur, particularly with regards to salary and furlough ranking," according to the report.

The Boeing safety review was mandated by a law enacted after the two 737 MAXs crashed in 2018 and 2019 and took 346 lives. Accident investigators blamed the MAX crashes largely on a faulty flight-control system that pilots initially didn't know about and weren't specifically trained to counteract during in-flight emergencies.

The report faulted Boeing as falling short with its attention to so-called human factors in engineering, which focus on how pilots work with the planes they are flying. The report blamed various corporate decisions for the waning influence of the company's human-factors specialists. Boeing is also failing to include adequate pilot input in aircraft design or other high-level decisions, according to the panel.

The FAA and Boeing each said they would review the report. The agency said it would hold Boeing to the highest safety standard. Boeing said it has taken steps to foster a safety culture "but there is more work to do."

Boeing created an aerospace safety committee on its board and reorganized how it handles engineering and safety matters to reduce business pressures. In 2021, the company agreed, in response to a shareholder lawsuit, to add a safety expert to its board and launch an ombudsman program." [1[

1. Business News: Panel Says Boeing Safety Efforts Fall Short --- After their review, industry, government experts offer list of 53 recommendations. Tangel, Andrew.  Wall Street Journal, Eastern edition; New York, N.Y.. 27 Feb 2024: B.6.