FAA Seeks $3.1 Million in Fines From Boeing Over Safety Violations, Including 2024 Midair Door-Panel Blowout

The Federal Aviation Administration on Friday proposed $3.1 million in civil penalties against Boeing, saying the planemaker committed safety violations between September 2023 and February 2024 that included the midair loss of a panel from an Alaska Airlines 737 Max 9.

The FAA said its action covers hundreds of quality-system violations found at Boeing's 737 factory in Renton, Washington, and at Boeing subcontractor Spirit AeroSystems' 737 facility in Wichita, Kansas. The agency's enforcement notice also alleges that a Boeing employee pressured a member of the company's Organization Designation Authorization unit — which performs certain inspections and certifications on the FAA's behalf — to sign off on a 737 Max so Boeing could meet a delivery schedule despite the ODA member determining the aircraft did not comply with applicable standards.

The proposed penalty period includes the Jan. 5, 2024, incident in which a paneled-over exit door, known as a door plug, blew out of an Alaska Airlines Max 9 shortly after the aircraft departed Portland, Oregon. None of the 171 passengers or six crew members on the flight were seriously injured, and the crew returned and landed safely. The FAA said its enforcement action follows a review of manufacturing and safety issues that the agency identified in that period.

In June, the National Transportation Safety Board issued the findings of a 17-month investigation into the January event, concluding that lapses in Boeing's manufacturing and safety oversight, combined with ineffective inspections and audits by the FAA, contributed to the blowout. The NTSB's investigation examined assembly processes, quality controls and oversight practices at multiple organizations involved in producing the 737 Max.

Boeing has 30 days to respond to the FAA's notice. In a statement issued Saturday, the company said it was reviewing the proposed civil penalty and highlighted steps it has taken under FAA oversight to strengthen safety and quality.

"We regret the January 2024 door-plug accident and continue to work on strengthening our safety culture and improving first-time quality and accountability across our operations," Boeing said. The company said it implemented a safety and quality plan last year intended to improve safety management and quality assurance in airplane production.

The action comes as Boeing remains under intense scrutiny for production and safety problems tied to its 737 Max and other models. The Max family has been at the center of regulatory and public concern since two crashes in 2018 and 2019 killed 346 people and led to a worldwide grounding of the type. The Justice Department in May reached an agreement that allowed Boeing to avoid criminal prosecution related to allegations it misled regulators about the Max before those crashes.

In June, Boeing again faced public attention after a Boeing 787 operated by Air India crashed shortly after takeoff, killing at least 270 people. Investigators have not determined the cause of that accident and have said they have not found any design or model-wide flaws with the 787 to date.

The FAA's proposed civil penalty focuses on a concentrated period of production oversight that the agency says revealed systemic quality-control deficiencies. Regulators and industry observers have said the penalties and related enforcement actions could affect Boeing's production schedules and buyer confidence as the company works to address longstanding manufacturing and safety challenges.

The FAA's notice did not specify the full list of individual violations or the detailed evidence supporting each alleged infraction; such information typically becomes part of the public record once Boeing responds and the agency proceeds with any administrative enforcement. The company and the FAA have been working through corrective measures and heightened oversight while the industry and federal officials continue reviews of practices at Boeing and its suppliers.

Boeing's response and any subsequent negotiations or appeals will determine whether the proposed $3.1 million penalty is imposed, reduced or otherwise resolved. The FAA's action underscores ongoing regulatory scrutiny of aircraft manufacturing practices and the oversight mechanisms relied upon to certify safety in commercial aviation.