FAA's Oversight Lapses with Boeing: A Call for Stricter Inspections

The FAA admitted to being 'too hands off' in its oversight of Boeing before a mid-air emergency on Jan. 5 with an Alaska Airlines 737 MAX 9. Administrator Mike Whitaker emphasized the need for better visibility and announced increased use of in-person inspectors, along with a visit to a Boeing factory in South Carolina.

The head of the Federal Aviation Administration said Thursday the agency was "too hands off" in oversight of Boeing before a Jan. 5 mid-air emergency in a new Alaska Airlines 737 MAX 9.

"The FAA should have had much better visibility into what was happening at Boeing before Jan. 5," said FAA Administrator Mike Whitaker at a Senate Commerce Committee hearing.

He said the agency had permanently boosted the use of in-person inspectors and would visit a Boeing factory in South Carolina on Friday. "The FAA's approach before then "was too hands off, too focused on paperwork audits and not focused enough on inspections," Whitaker added.