Boeing could be fine GBP1m for pressuring aircraft safety reps to "perform inspections more quickly"

Boeing faces being hit with a $1.25m fine after allegedly pressuring safety inspectors to inspect aircraft more quickly. The FAA has accused the planemaker of “pressuring,” “harassing,” and “berating the performance of” engineers, inspectors and managers on the oversight team in charge of quality control at the company’s plant in South Carolina. Accusations have been levelled at four senior Boeing managers. In a letter seen by the Seattle Times, the FAA lays out several allegations relating to inspections made between 2017 and 2019. These include: that senior managers pressured an inspector “to perform a compliance inspection of an aircraft which was not ready for inspection”; that they harassed inspectors and managers to “perform inspections more quickly and to report to aircraft ready for inspection faster”; that they berated the performance of inspectors and threatened to replace them; that they waited outside aircraft to see how long inspections took; and that an oversight manager was not interviewed for a potential promotion after filing an “undue pressure” report.<br/>