Title: Boeing's history of safety problems started long before the 737 Max crashes - The Washington Post
Headings: Long before the Max disasters, Boeing had a history of failing to fix safety problems
Long before the Max disasters, Boeing had a history of failing to fix safety problems
'Failures of corrective action'
Boeing's responsiveness, oversight under scrutiny
Falsified certifications
A threat to a 'story of success'

Content: But the official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss ongoing matters with Boeing, said that “if we learn something, we’ll obviously go back and address that.” 'Failures of corrective action'
Boeing’s inability to rid its newly built planes of what it calls “Foreign Object Debris,” such as tools left behind, was one of the problems that prompted the settlement. But an FAA official said the company is still struggling with the issue, and a top Air Force official told Congress the government temporarily halted deliveries of Boeing tankers earlier this year over “FOD” problems. European pilots say FAA, Boeing moving too fast toward lifting 737 Max ban
The company committed to improving the quality and timeliness of information it provides to the FAA. But in the case of the 737 Max, the FAA said, it took Boeing more than a year to notify it about a software problem that disabled a crucial warning light connected to the automated system at the center of the tragedies. Advertisement
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Most of the cases that sparked the settlement talks involved “apparent failures of corrective action,” according to the agreement — meaning Boeing wasn’t implementing promised fixes or problems were reoccurring. For example, before the 2015 agreement, Boeing workers kept failing to insert “lock wires” into holes in bolts used to build planes, according to the FAA. The wires are akin to the twist-ties of industrial manufacturing, and they serve as a backup so bolts or other fasteners can’t come loose, allowing critical parts to detach in the rumble of flight. Whether because of problems with training, sloppiness or employees rushing to meet commercial deadlines, the FAA found Boeing failed to sufficiently correct the problem in the period before the settlement. Story continues below advertisement
In addition, special decompression panels — meant to prevent a sudden change in pressure from collapsing the floor beneath passengers — had been improperly installed, and “corrective actions” weren’t sufficient.