FAA confronts Boeing over undisclosed internal communication
Posted October 18, 2019 10:16 am.
Last Updated October 19, 2019 9:50 am.
WASHINGTON – Boeing was aware of troubling instant messages between two employees regarding their communications with federal regulators over its now-grounded 737 Max jet, but the company waited months to disclose them.
Federal Aviation Administration chief Steve Dickson demanded an explanation from Boeing CEO Dennis Muilenburg in a letter Friday.
The content of the 2016 messages isn’t clear, but FAA says they deal with communication between Boeing and the FAA when Boeing was seeking approval for the Max.
FAA says it “finds the substance of the document concerning” and is disappointed that Boeing waited months before bringing them to the agency’s attention.
International regulators have criticized Boeing’s communication with FAA over a Max flight system implicated in crashes that killed 346 people.
Boeing shares are down almost 4%.
