FAA seeks $3.1M fine from Boeing over safety violations
Share and Follow


The FAA said it identified hundreds of quality system violations at Boeing’s 737 factory and a subcontractor’s facility.

WASHINGTON — The Federal Aviation Administration is seeking $3.1 million in fines from Boeing over safety violations, including ones related to an Alaska Airlines jetliner losing a door plug panel on its fuselage in midflight.

The proposed penalty is for safety violations that occurred from September 2023 through February 2024, the FAA said Friday.

That period includes the January 2024 blowout of a paneled-over exit door — called a door plug —- on an Alaska Airlines Boeing 737 Max 9 shortly after it took off from Portland, Oregon.

None of the 171 passengers or six crew members on the flight were seriously injured. Pilots landed the plane safely back at the airport.

In June, the National Transportation Safety Board said its 17-month long investigation found that lapses in Boeing’s manufacturing and safety oversight, combined with ineffective inspections and audits by the FAA, led to the door plug blowout.

The FAA said Friday that it identified hundreds of quality system violations at Boeing’s 737 factory in Renton, Washington, and Boeing subcontractor Spirit AeroSystems’ 737 factory in Wichita, Kansas.

Among other violations, the regulator also found that a Boeing employee pressured a member of Boeing’s ODA unit, which is tasked with performing certain inspections and certifications on the FAA’s behalf, to sign off on a 737 Max airplane “so that Boeing could meet its delivery schedule, even though the ODA member determined the aircraft did not comply with applicable standards.”

Arlington, Virginia-based Boeing has 30 days to respond to the FAA.

In a statement Saturday, Boeing said it is reviewing the agency’s proposed civil penalty, noting that the company put in place a safety and quality plan last year, under FAA oversight, that aims to enhance safety management and quality assurance in its airplane production.

“We regret the January 2024 door-plug accident and continue to work on strengthening our safety culture and improving first-time quality and accountability across our operations,” the company said.

The Max version of Boeing’s bestselling 737 airplane has been the source of persistent troubles for the company since two of the jets crashed, one in Indonesia in 2018 and another in Ethiopia in 2019, killing a combined 346 people.

The Justice Department reached a deal in May allowing Boeing to avoid criminal prosecution for allegedly misleading U.S. regulators about the Max before the two crashes.

Boeing was also in the news in June when a 787 flown by Air India crashed shortly after takeoff and killed at least 270 people. Investigators have not determined what caused that crash, but so far they have not found any flaws with the model, which has a strong safety record.

Copyright 2025 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.     

Share and Follow
You May Also Like
Anti-Defamation League retires glossary of extremist groups after backlash for including Charlie Kirk's TPUSA

Anti-Defamation League retires glossary of extremist groups after backlash for including Charlie Kirk’s TPUSA

NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles! The Anti-Defamation League (ADL)…
Keith Urban, 57, changes lyrics of Nicole Kidman song

Keith Urban, 57, modifies lyrics in tribute to Nicole Kidman

Keith Urban has shocked fans by changing the lyrics of his song…
Record 13th Florida execution this year carried out on man convicted of killing a couple

Florida Conducts 13th Execution of the Year for Man Guilty of Double Homicide

STARKE, Fla. (AP) — A man convicted of killing a married couple…

Chunk the 1,200-Pound Bear Triumphs in Fat Bear Week Despite Jaw Injury

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) Chunk, a towering brown bear with a broken jaw,…
Inside Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban's divorce documents

Exploring the Divorce Papers of Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban

Nicole Kidman will become the primary residential parent of her daughters Sunday Rose,…
GOP lawmakers to be confronted by Epstein saga as they return to Congress

Democrats Claim GOP Legislators are Postponing Epstein Vote

() Democratic members of the House of Representatives have accused House Speaker…
Pope Leo XIV weighs in on abortion, death penalty, immigrants

Pope Leo XIV Addresses Abortion, the Death Penalty, and Immigration

() Pope Leo XIV spoke out on the death penalty and inhumane…
Senate to reconvene as government shutdown begins

Senate to Gather Again Amid Start of Government Shutdown

() The Senate has two more votes planned Wednesday, giving lawmakers the…