An audit from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) found that Boeing factory employees were pressured to prioritize speed over quality.

The special investigation spanning six weeks was released on September 25, according to CNN, detailing a pattern of "troubling production problems," inadequate training for workers, and routine safety lapses throughout the manufacturing process for Boeing's planes. Its release also came on the same day that the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations was scheduled to hold a hearing to discuss the FAA's oversight of "Boeing's broken safety culture." 

In the report, the FAA identified several instances where Boeing workers cut corners, including one mechanic who reportedly used an "unauthorized, unmarked" device to measure gaps between components in planes. The employee said that they had been using the tool for three years, and that other door mechanics take measurements with the same device. The audit went on to note that Boeing has frequently struggled to document and track nonconforming parts, or conduct necessary safety inspections. 

The FAA's audit aligns with past allegations from Boeing employees. Hundreds of pages of transcripts from interviews with workers for Boeing and supplier Spirit AeroSystems released in August described a culture of rushed work and low safety standards, with one anonymous employee stating simply that "people try to work too fast." Another claimed that there was no formal training for properly removing a door plug, despite the worker detailing how their team was "replacing doors like we were replacing our underwear."