Boeing
FAA proposes penalties totalling $1.25m against Boeing for interfering in FAA designees workers. Credit: Smallbones via Wikipedia.

The US Department of Transportation’s Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has proposed two civil penalties against aircraft manufacturer Boeing. 

Totalling $1.25m, the fines are for pressuring or interfering with safety representatives at Boeing’s South Carolina plant. 

The first civil penalty of nearly $1.07m was imposed as Boeing implemented an unsuitable structure of its FAA-approved Organization Designation Authorization (ODA) programme.  

Under this ODA programme, FAA authorised Boeing to perform approved functions, including inspecting aircraft and issuing airworthiness certificates on its behalf. 

The administration alleged that employees in two ODA units reported to managers who were not approved to be in ODA management positions between November 2017 and July 2019. 

Additionally, the FAA alleges that non-ODA Boeing managers exerted undue pressure or interfered with ODA unit members between September 2018 and May 2019. 

In the second allegation, the administration proposes a $184,522 civil penalty against Boeing for failing to comply with its quality control processes on 26 February. 

The FAA alleges that the failure exerts undue pressure or interfered to ODA members with Boeing 787-9 airworthiness inspection. 

Boeing has a time period of 30 days to react following the receipt of enforcement letters from the FAA. 

The FAA recently proposed four design changes to address the unsafe condition of Boeing 737 Max aircraft.