On Thursday, the Federal Aviation Administration announced a three-year extension of Boeing’s Organization Designation Authorization (ODA), a program that allows it to conduct certain inspections and approve repairs on the agency’s behalf.
The ODA program, which goes into effect on June 1, authorizes a designated team within Boeing to perform select duties for the FAA, including engineering approvals and inspections, provided the company meets rigorous safety and performance standards.
According to the FAA, improvements were observed in most areas under review. However, the agency emphasized that it will continue to monitor Boeing’s performance throughout the three-year renewal period to ensure continued compliance.
According to Reuters, Boeing’s ODA program has faced increased scrutiny following a January 2024 midair incident involving an Alaska Airlines 737 MAX 9, where four critical bolts were found missing. The event led to renewed criticism of Boeing’s safety culture and prompted the FAA to cap 737 MAX production at 38 aircraft per month.
The linked FAA’s announcement sounds confident, that is, talking about improvements and tighter oversight, but the article mostly repeats that without really digging into what went wrong before. It leaves you wondering how much has actually changed.
ODA was meant to lighten the FAA’s load by letting companies handle some of the work. But, that trust hasn’t always been earned. Past failures show just how easily major problems can slip through. Renewinga company’s authority might sound like progress, but it also raises a fair question. Is this real oversight or just more of the same with a fresh coat of paint?
I read that Boeing has changed internal procedures to reduce pressure on designees, and initial response is positive.
Boeing is a massive bureaucracy, long has been, bad and good, rarely changes much. Question is will it reform? The CEO who got realism into the 787 program added treatment of employees to criteria for evaluation of managers.
Yes, pressure is there, I suffered from it as DER and Canadian equivalent.
Key is integrity of the employer.
(ODA is a company version of of delegation, whereas DER and DAR (licensed technician in US, design engineer in Canada) is individual.)