Boeing Fined $4 Million for knowingly installing faulty parts
Safety regulators want to fine Boeing nearly $4 million, saying that the company installed critical wing parts on 133 planes even though it knew the parts were faulty.
The Federal Aviation Administration announced the proposed civil penalty on Friday.
The FAA action covers parts on Boeing 737s known as slat tracks, which sit at the front edge of a plane's wings and guide the movement of panels called slats. The slats help give planes more lift during takeoffs and landings. The FAA said the tracks were made brittle during a process in which they received a coating of cadmium and titanium, and that suppliers notified Boeing of the problem. Boeing still submitted the planes for FAA flight approval even after deciding that the slat tracks “could not be used due to a failed strength test,” according to an FAA statement.
There must be more to this story, maybe it was covered elsewhere? Was the plan to certify the planes and fix them before delivery? That would be shockingly lax, but not as shocking as delivering planes with such a major known defect.
By the way, for reference "Muilenburg’s compensation last year was worth $23.4 million, including a $13.1 million bonus and $7.3 million in stock awards. Stock awards from previous years that vested in 2018 pushed Muilenburg’s haul to just over $30 million."