FAA Proposes $3.1 Million Fine Against Boeing Over Door-Plug Horror

The Federal Aviation Administration announced it’s proposing $3.1 million in fines against Boeing for safety violations in late 2023 and early 2024, according to a press release from the government agency on Friday.

The safety violations include an incident on January 5, 2024, when a door plug fell out of an Alaska Airlines flight traveling from Portland, Oregon. The door plug fell out of the Boeing 737 Max 9 while in flight, though thankfully nobody was hurt.

The door plug was eventually found in the backyard of a Portland schoolteacher and highlighted recent safety concerns in the wake of two deadly crashes, one in 2018 and another in 2019, that killed 346 people in total. Boeing struck a deal with the U.S. Department of Justice earlier this year to avoid criminal charges in those crashes.

The fine of just $3.1 million may not seem like much for such a large company, but the FAA touts it as the “maximum statutory civil penalty authority consistent with law.”

The FAA also notes that a Boeing employee pressured a member of the FAA’s Organization Designation Authorization (ODA) to sign off on a Boeing 737-MAX plane so that the plane manufacturer could meet its delivery schedule. The FAA has faced criticism for not being independent enough from the companies it regulates.

The FAA fine also relates to various quality control problems, as the agency explains in its press release:

The FAA identified hundreds of quality system violations at Boeing’s 737 factory in Renton, Washington, and Boeing subcontractor Spirit AeroSystems’ 737 factory in Wichita, Kansas. Additionally, Boeing presented two unairworthy aircraft to the FAA for airworthiness certificates and failed to follow its quality system.

Reached for comment over email, a Boeing spokesperson said the company regrets the door-plug accident and continues to work on “strengthening our safety culture and improving first-time quality and accountability across our operations.”

“Last year, under the oversight of the FAA, we instituted a Safety & Quality Plan with key performance indicators to enhance safety management and quality assurance in airplane production,” the statement continued. “Our team continues to implement these improvements, such as investing in workforce training, strengthening production system compliance and encouraging employees to speak up.”

Boeing has 30 days to reply to the FAA’s letter about the proposed fines. The full letter has not been made public. The agency didn’t respond to questions emailed Friday evening. Gizmodo will update this post when we hear back.