Congress has a lot to say about Boeing’s troubles. But what will it do?

Paige Cornwell | The Seattle Times (TNS)

Dueling Senate hearings earlier this month focused on Boeing’s safety culture, with whistleblower testimony that lawmakers called troubling as they pledged to further address the company’s problems.

A Federal Aviation Administration-appointed panel addressing the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation on April 17 described a culture at Boeing that needs to substantially change from its current environment where employees fear retaliation if they bring up safety concerns. That hearing coincided with a hearing with a Senate Homeland Security subcommittee, which heard accusations from current and former Boeing employees that the company hid safety risks. In response, Boeing has said its 777 and 787 planes are safe, and that retaliation is strictly prohibited.

Congressional scrutiny has increased since the January incident on an Alaska Airlines flight when a fuselage panel blew out of a Boeing 737 MAX. Whether that scrutiny will drive any changes in Washington, D.C., remains an open question.

The Ontario, Calif.-bound flight from Portland was at 16,000 feet when the fuselage piece called a door plug blew out and the passenger cabin decompressed. Alaska and other airlines temporarily grounded dozens of MAX 9s, and the FAA ordered Boeing to postpone its planned production ramp-up pending an extensive audit of the company’s manufacturing and quality systems.

A National Transportation Safety Board investigation found that four bolts that should have kept the door plug in place were missing. The door plug had been opened at the Renton factory so a team from supplier Spirit AeroSystems could repair damaged rivets adjacent to the door plug, according to the NTSB.

Boeing has until late May to come up with a plan to fix its quality-control problems, as required by a deadline set by the Federal Aviation Administration in February. Meanwhile, Congress is nearing its May 10 deadline for the long-term reauthorization of the FAA, which has faced criticism for its often-cozy relationship with Boeing.

Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., who chairs the Commerce Committee, said last week she wants to go beyond the FAA reauthorization bill in drafting legislation related to aviation safety.