No unsafe planes leaving Boeing, says FAA chief

During a television interview interview with NBC News' Lester Holt to discuss the recent issues with Boeing
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Federal Aviation Administration Chairman Michael Whitaker said that “no unsafe aircraft leave the factory.”

Meanwhile, Whitaker said he “certainly” would not hesitate to close Boeing factories if he saw something in Boeing's production that would jeopardize aircraft safety.

Whitaker shared ongoing concerns about Boeing's practices and culture following the FAA's recent six-week audit of the facility. “What we saw was not the safety culture we were looking for,” he said.

Whitaker noted that there was no safety briefing before entering Boeing's manufacturing facility, and that there was more discussion about production than quality assurance. “It was all about production,” he added. “There is no error in production, but safety must be followed.”

“What we're really focused on now is shifting that focus from production to safety and quality,” the FAA administrator added.

Is Boeing too big to fail?

Asked if Boeing was too big to fail, Whitaker said: “Economics is not part of my portfolio, but I would say they are too big to make a good plane. They have all the resources they need. There's no reason they can't make a plane.” Good.

As for whether Boeing can address the issues with its safety management system and change the situation, Whittaker said: “I don't think they have a choice, so I'm confident they will.”

Boeing issued a statement in response to the interview, saying: “We are taking important actions to enhance safety and quality at Boeing. We focus on demonstrating change and building confidence one aircraft at a time. “This increased scrutiny, whether from ourselves, the FAA or others, will make us better.”

The head of the Federal Aviation Administration speaks with the CEO of United Airlines after recent events

During the interview with Holt, Whitaker also revealed that he had discussions with United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby about what happened recently. A series of accidents With her travels. Among the most well-publicized incidents are a 737-800 that landed in Oregon last Friday with a missing dashboard, and a 777 that lost a tire during takeoff in San Francisco earlier this month, leading to an emergency landing in Los Angeles.

In a message to reassure customers of the airline's safety, Kirby said of the recent incidents: “Although not all of them are related, I want you to know that these incidents have our attention and have increased our focus.”

Whitaker said he spoke with Kirby over the weekend. “I know they are taking some aggressive measures and looking into these cases,” he said.

The FAA examines accidents to see if there is a pattern linking them. “Nobody likes to see that uptick in accidents,” Whittaker said, adding that he and Kirby were looking “at where those risks might be.”

Whitaker also reassured the public that aviation safety remains high, despite the recent news.

“The system is safe. It is still the safest way to travel,” Whittaker said. “But we are working vigilantly to make sure it stays that way. This is an ongoing task. We are always looking for risks and addressing those risks.

The NTSB chief notes that driving is still more deadly than flying

Echoing Whitaker's sentiments, National Transportation Safety Board Chairwoman Jennifer Homendy posted message On

I wrote:

“118 people will die on our roads today. Where is the anger? I've been seeing a lot of excitement about aviation lately. The truth is that our aviation system is the safest in the world, and all of us – investigators, regulators, airlines, employees and manufacturers – are working to make sure it stays that way. I'll say it again, the most dangerous part of your travel day is leading up to it. This doesn't mean we don't have more to do to ensure safety in our skies. Our work is never done. But imagine what could happen if we focused equally on eliminating death on our roads: we could achieve zero…together.