The top U.S. aviation regulator said Thursday that the Federal Aviation Administration should have been more aware of manufacturing problems inside Boeing before a panel blew off a 737 Max during an Alaska Airlines flight in January.
“FAA’s approach was too hands-off — too focused on paperwork audits and not focused enough on inspections,” FAA Administrator Mike Whitaker told a Senate committee.
Whitaker said that since the Jan. 5 blowout on the Alaska jetliner, the FAA has changed to “more active, comprehensive oversight” of Boeing. That includes, as he has said before, putting more inspectors in factories at Boeing and its chief supplier on the Max, Spirit AeroSystems.
Whitaker made the comments while his agency, the Justice Department and the National Transportation Safety Board continue investigations into the giant aircraft manufacturer. The FAA has limited Boeing’s production of 737 Max jets to 38 per month, but the company is building far fewer than that while it tries to fix quality-control problems.
But yeah, companies don’t need oversight, the Free Market Sky Daddy covers it all in the blood of the lamb and makes it faultless
The Free Market Sky Daddy demands sacrifices! Which is fine as long as it isn’t me!
Plane fall down ok if make line go up.
Plus one less plane needs one more replacement, job creation.
Get fucked. He has spent his whole professional career being an airline industry suit, which is why he was placed at the FAA by Biden: he’s another industry plant in an completey captured regulator, by an industry captured government.
All he’s doing is stating the obvious because the cats out of the bag. Don’t hold your breath for this lifelong airline industry executive to be some savior or rebuilder of an independent FAA.
Whitaker began his aviation career as a litigator, then as assistant general counsel of international and regulatory affairs at Trans World Airlines (TWA). He spent 15 years at United Airlines in a variety of roles as director, vice president and senior vice president. His portfolio at the airline included commercial alliances and joint ventures, international and regulatory affairs, and strategic counsel to the chairman and chief executive officer on international matters.Whitaker served as Group CEO of InterGlobe Enterprises.There, he oversaw strategy and operations for four affiliate travel companies.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Whitaker_(government_official)
I don’t know why you were downvoted because those are pure facts
(i assume you wish for Whitaker to be fornicated, not the OP)
Yes, my open salvo was directed at the Whitaker.
Also, I’m pretty sure OP is an article bot, so don’t think they’d take notice, or offense, regardless lol.
Lemmy.world communities tend to be less tolerable of any direct Biden criticism, at least in my experience. Although maybe they thought I was directing that opener at OP.
Maybe it’s not fair to lay this entirely at the feet of old joe and his crony capitalism.
Did you just blame Trump for a Biden appointment?
Because my comment was specifically about a Biden appointment to the FAA…But if you’re looking for who to blame for the FAA being shit, well that goes back a heck of a lot further, and it’s a bipartisan affair.
No I’m saying that’s probably why you get pushback. Yes, Biden sucks, but putting companies in charge of inspections was Trumps EO.
The FAA has limited Boeing’s production of 737 Max jets to 38 per month
I feel like when there’s at least one new scandal about their aircraft every week, the production should be limited to a big fat nil
No one’s buying them anyway 🤷♂️
They have a massive backlog of orders. They can not take a single new order and still have orders to fill for years.
Now, if airlines start to cancel orders, that will hit Boeing more directly. But those airlines would take financial hits themselves, too, for canceling. And they still need more planes, so they will just end up placing new orders and be on Airbus’s backlog instead.
This seems to confirm the backlog (a shocking 5,600) but also the decline in new orders to just 4 in May; no Max’s for two months; and even a cancelation.
Who could have known that letting them hire their own inspectors was a bad move?
This is what politicians mean when they say small government. Gut all agencies tasked with oversight except the police.
I mean they’re pretty open about wanting to do away with the EPA.
Yes they where, and the FDA, but not the FBI (although post Trump they do… but move the funds to Homeland security)
Here in the Netherlands our Liberal party (VVD) supported by christian democrats (CDA) and the current ruling party (PVV)… all right wingers. Did something similar, when in charge. They declared the housing market “fixed” and said that the commercial market would resolve any housing issues left. They proceeded to close down the whole branch of government the Ministry of housing. That was in 2010. Now 24 years later, houses are at their most expensive and the shortages ar at their highest ever. It is estimated it will take till at least 2038 to fix the issue.
So… (Corporate) fatcats got fatter, people are paying a larger share of their income for a roof over their heads… but the government was smaller for 24 years and all those house value increases made the GDP look Soo nice.
Suddenly the head of FAA becomes suicidal.
We’ve concluded our investigation and we’ve ruled suicide.
… But it was seven times in the head with a bolt action rifle…
You heard us.
And then he resigned, because that what failed leaders do. Right?
The fact that Whitaker is just now saying this, when there is blood in the water around Boeing, makes it even less plausible that they are appropriately overseeing the situation. At this point we need to start having conversations about how to safely disassemble and nationalize Boeing.
I understand this isn’t politically easy but we are well past ‘we promise we’re paying attention now’. The minimum action required to regain the status quo would be a full replacement of all executive leadership and criminal prosecution of all involved.
Prior to his FAA appointment, Whitaker was a long time airline industry lawyer and executive.
Don’t confuse the job description on the FAA website, with the actual role he’s been appointed to fill.
Yeah no shit, people have been saying this for years. Why did you wait until it actually became a big deal?
How the FAA delegated oversight to Boeing
https://www.politico.com/story/2019/03/21/congress-faa-boeing-oversight-1287902
And that’s exactly how Boeing wanted it.
Donald Trump would get in the way of fixing Boeing if he is elected.
