US Senator on FAA oversight

Senator Maria Cantwell has urged the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to conduct a comprehensive root cause analysis regarding its oversight of Boeing and its suppliers, following concerns about the FAA's lenient treatment contributing to safety issues. In a letter to FAA Administrator Mike Whitaker, Cantwell highlighted that 298 audits of Boeing and Spirit AeroSystems over the past two years yielded no enforcement actions, raising questions about the effectiveness of FAA's regulatory oversight. After a serious incident involving an Alaska Airlines 737 MAX 9, which lost a mid-cabin door plug, the FAA audit revealed multiple compliance failures in Boeing's production processes. Cantwell emphasized the need for the FAA to identify core issues rather than just symptoms of problems and to develop corrective actions. The call for analysis reflects broader concerns about aviation safety and regulatory compliance within the industry, with the FAA's previous oversight described as 'too hands-off.' This request follows Cantwell's previous hearings aimed at improving aviation safety standards.