Five days after the incident involving an Alaska Airlines Boeing 737 MAX 9 that escalated to the mandatory grounding of more than 170 aircraft of that model worldwide, the United States Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) issued a statement today informing that it has formally notified Boeing that it is conducting an investigation «to determine if Boeing failed to ensure completed products conformed to its approved design and were in a condition for safe operation in compliance with FAA regulations.»
«Boeing’s manufacturing practices need to comply with the high safety standards they’re legally accountable to meet,» the statement continues, detailing that in addition to the loss of the “plug” type passenger door, additional discrepancies were detected.
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The statement concludes with the same stern phrase that the FAA has been using in its recent releases: «The safety of the flying public, not speed, will determine the timeline for returning the Boeing 737-9 Max to service.»