Boeing has agreed to pay a $12 million fine issued by the Federal Aviation Administration stemming from a series of quality control and compliance-related issues.
The accord settles two FAA enforcement cases and 11 other matters brought against Boeing in recent years, reported The Washington Post. The first dates back to 2012 when the FAA accused Boeing of missing a deadline to provide airlines with information for installing fuel tank flammability reduction equipment on Boeing 747s and 757s. The devices prevent fires by using nitrogen instead of oxygen on fuel tanks to reduce the risk of explosions and became mandatory for use after a 747 operated by TWA exploded and killed all 230 people onboard after crashing in the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Long Island, N.Y. in 1996.
In the second case, which dates back to 2013, the FAA argued that Boeing used improper fasteners on 777s and then neglected to fix the issue for two years, the agency said in a statement on Tuesday. However, it says the issue presented no safety issues for Boeing workers.
The remaining 11 issues dealt with other unspecified quality control problems and "failures to implement corrective actions for those production problems," according to the statement.
Boeing took responsibility for the issues and said the fine was "fair," according to The Seattle Times.
"As a company we take responsibility for our actions, and we will never compromise on our commitment to quality and compliance," Boeing said.
For it's part, the FAA has made it clear that it will be watching Boeing closely and is requiring mandatory training of all engineers, three internal audits of each product line and one audit of each BCA fabrication site.
"This agreement is an important step toward ensuring that Boeing fully meets all applicable compliance standards going forward," said U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx in a statement.
Boeing is required to immediately pay the $12 million and could be fined an additional $24 million if it fails to follow through on the agreement, FAA said.
