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'

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Back in the United States, Boeing mechanics were leaving tools inside plane wings, precariously close to the cables that control their movements. Workers also were improperly installing wires in 787s, which could increase the risk of shorts or fires, FAA officials found. Story continues below advertisement
Repeatedly, safety lapses were identified, and Boeing would agree to fix them, then fail to do so, the FAA said. The agency launched or was considering more than a dozen legal enforcement cases against the company for failing to comply with safety regulations, a review of FAA records shows, with fines that could have totaled tens of millions of dollars. Boeing CEO Dennis Muilenburg said April 29 that the airplane manufacturer was making “progress” toward getting approval for new software in its 737 Max planes. ( Reuters)
So FAA officials tried a new approach. Rather than pursue each violation separately, agency officials bundled them together and negotiated a broader deal. Advertisement
“The thinking was, get everything wrapped into one case since we’re trying to address a bunch of broader systemic issues anyway,” said an FAA official who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss internal deliberations. With its ties in Washington, Boeing has taken over more and more of the FAA’s job
As Boeing faces intense scrutiny over back-to-back crashes of its 737 Max jet, documents and interviews show that the company had safety problems known to federal regulators for years. Story continues below advertisement
In 2015, the FAA decided to try to get Boeing to meet, then go beyond, federal safety requirements by addressing broader corporate culture and governance issues, including what agency officials considered a lack of transparency.