Austin News

WASHINGTON, D.C. – In his opening statement at today’s Senate Commerce Committee hearing titled “FAA Oversight of Aviation Manufacturing,” Ranking Member Ted Cruz (R-Texas) emphasized the importance of the recently passed FAA Reauthorization Act. This act directs the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to conduct risk-based inspections of aircraft manufacturers following concerning incidents with Boeing aircraft, such as the decompression of Alaska Airlines flight 1282.

Sen. Cruz also addressed how FAA Administrator Michael Whitaker will ensure adequate oversight of Boeing's production processes to prevent future incidents and evaluate Boeing’s response plan to the FAA’s audit. Additionally, Sen. Cruz reiterated his call for Boeing CEO Dave Calhoun to testify before the Commerce Committee, which has jurisdiction over civil aviation and oversight matters.

In his prepared remarks, Sen. Cruz stated: “Thank you, Chairwoman. I appreciate you holding today’s hearing on this critically important topic: FAA’s oversight of aviation manufacturers."

He continued by thanking Administrator Whitaker for attending despite his agency's busy schedule implementing the bipartisan FAA Reauthorization Act passed last month. "Our crucial bipartisan legislation gives the FAA much-needed long-term stability and allows it to refocus on its primary mission: the safety of our national aviation system," he said.

Sen. Cruz highlighted that the act directs the FAA to conduct risk-based inspections of manufacturers like Boeing to prevent incidents similar to Alaska Airlines flight 1282's rapid cabin decompression on January 5th, which occurred at 16,000 feet when a plug door flew off the plane. He noted that while there were no critical injuries due to fortunate circumstances, concerns about Boeing's safety were raised once again.

The incident involved a Boeing 737 MAX 9 delivered just months prior, prompting an NTSB investigation and an FAA audit that revealed issues in Boeing’s production lines. Reports included problems with untightened or overtightened bolts on Boeing 737 MAX aircraft.

Sen. Cruz expressed concern over findings that an employee had failed to replace bolts after opening a plug door during production, calling it "inexcusable." He acknowledged swift action by the FAA in grounding the 737 MAX but questioned why their oversight had not identified these serious production gaps earlier.

“The FAA must guarantee that not only are they certifying an aircraft is safely designed but that the manufacturer is building them to that safe design,” Sen. Cruz asserted.

The senator looked forward to hearing from Administrator Whitaker regarding actions taken by the FAA to ensure effective oversight of Boeing's production and was keen on understanding impressions of Boeing’s response actions following audits.

Sen. Cruz stressed that reinforcing safety culture at Boeing would take time and anticipated learning about long-term efforts from both entities in ensuring adherence to safety standards for public confidence in air travel.

“I hope we will soon hear directly from Boeing on how they are going to address production failures,” he concluded, expressing disappointment that CEO Dave Calhoun would not be testifying before their committee but hopeful for future engagement.

“As always, the safety of the traveling public is a top priority for this Committee and I look forward to today’s hearing.”

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