FAA launches new investigation into Boeing after company may have missed some 787 Dreamliner inspections
The FAA is investigating whether Boeing completed the inspections and if employees falsified aircraft records
Whistleblower says Boeing must ground all 787 Dreamliners
Former Department of Transportation official Diana Furchtgott-Roth says the Federal Aviation Administration 'is investigating' on 'The Evening Edit.'
The FAA has opened a new investigation into Boeing after the company voluntarily informed the organization that it may not have completed required inspections to confirm adequate bonding and grounding where the wings join the fuselage on certain 787 Dreamliner airplane.
The Federal Aviation Administration confirmed to FOX Business in a statement that they are investigating whether Boeing completed the inspections and whether company employees falsified aircraft records.
"As the investigation continues, the FAA will take any necessary action – as always – to ensure the safety of the flying public," the FAA said.
The Wall Street Journal was first to report on the new investigation.
BOEING WHISTLEBLOWER FROM KANSAS IS 2ND TO DIE IN PAST 2 MONTHS
Signage outside the Boeing Co. manufacturing facility in Renton, Washington. (David Ryder/Bloomberg via Getty Images / Getty Images)
The FAA added that at the same time, Boeing is also reinspecting all 787 airplanes still within the production system and must also create a plan to address the in-service fleet.
The investigation comes after several mishaps involving Boeing aircrafts over the past few months.
Fox News has tracked at least four incidents with Boeing aircraft in January, two in February and as many as 10 as of mid-March.
Since then, a wave of issues has continued to plague Boeing.
In a matter of two months, two Boeing whistleblowers have died.
Last week, Joshua Dean, a quality inspector for the Boeing supplier Spirit AeroSystems, died after a surprise infection left him in critical condition for days, according to his family.
Dean was being represented by the same law firm that was working for John Barnett, another Boeing whistleblower who police in Charleston, South Carolina, found dead from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound on March 9.
Adding to Boeing's problems, Southwest Airlines announced in late April that the carrier is pulling out of several airports as it contends with financial fallout from Boeing delays.
SOUTHWEST AIRLINES EXITS MULTIPLE AIRPORTS AS BOEING TROUBLES WEIGH
A Southwest Airlines Boeing 737 Max 8 arrives at Daniel K. Inouye International Airport on Jan. 20, 2024, in Honolulu, Hawaii. (Kevin Carter/Getty Images / Getty Images)
Southwest is the latest carrier to face setbacks due to Boeing. In early March, United Airlines announced it was temporarily pausing pilot hiring due to new aircraft certification and manufacturing delays at Boeing. It also recently asked pilots to take unpaid time off as delays persist.
The FAA ramped up oversight of Boeing and its supplier Spirit AeroSystems in recent months, which included halting production expansion of the Max after a door plug blew out mid-flight on one of Alaska Airlines' Max 9 jets in early January.
United Airlines also released its first quarter earnings, which indicated that it lost about $200 million due to the temporary grounding of the Boeing 737 Max 9 earlier this year.
United is one of two U.S. carriers that operate the Boeing 737 Max 9, with the other being Alaska Airlines.
UNITED SAID IT LOST $200 MILLION FROM THE TEMPORARY GROUNDING OF THE BOEING 737 MAX 9
A United Airlines Boeing 737 Max 9 airplane parked at a gate at Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR) in Newark, New Jersey, US, on Tuesday, March 19, 2024. (Angus Mordant/Bloomberg via Getty Images / Getty Images)
A whistleblower with more than 40 years of engineering experience told members of the Senate that Boeing is putting out defective airplanes in testimony during a hearing in late April.
Sam Salehpour, an engineer at Boeing, told lawmakers that the company is cutting corners in assembling its 787 and 777 jets and claimed his supervisors have retaliated against him for blowing the whistle.
WHISTLEBLOWER TESTIFIES BOEING IS PRODUCING DEFECTIVE PLANES, SAYS HE'S RECEIVED PHYSICAL THREATS
Boeing engineer Sam Salehpour arrives for a Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs subcommittee on investigations hearing titled "Boeing's broken safety culture, focusing on firsthand accounts" at the U.S. Capitol on April 17, 2024 in Was (Getty Images)
Salehpour has claimed that Boeing failed to adequately shim, or use a thin piece of material to fill tiny gaps in a manufactured product, an omission that could cause premature fatigue failure over time in some areas of the Boeing 787 Dreamliner.
In his testimony, Salehpour also stated that he raised safety concerns with Boeing over the course of three years but had been ignored. He described retaliation by his supervisors, including being transferred out of the 787 program into the 777 program and even alleged physical threats made against him.
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Boeing previously told FOX Business that the "claims about the structural integrity of the 787 are inaccurate" and that the "issues raised have been subject to rigorous engineering examination under the FAA oversight."
Fox Business' Michael Ruiz, Chris Pandolfo, Eric Revell, and Daniella Genovese contributed to this report.