SUMMARY

Boeing remains on the hot seat over questions about its production processes. The head of the National Transportation Safety Board told lawmakers her investigators still don’t know who worked on the door panel that blew out of an Alaska Airlines flight. Meanwhile, NYT reported Boeing and a key supplier failed a number of audits. Aviation correspondent Miles O’Brien spoke on what went wrong.

View the transcript of the story.

News alternative: Check out recent segments from the NewsHour, and choose the story you’re most interested in watching. You can make a Google doc copy of discussion questions that work for any of the stories here.

Key terms

Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) — government agency that creates and enforces regulations and minimum standards covering manufacturing, operating, and maintaining aircraft

NTSB (National Transportation Safety Board) — independent government agency responsible for investigating civil transportation accidents

lobbying — influencing or attempting to influence legislative action by building goodwill and positive relationships with lawmakers (while not mentioned specifically in this story, the role of lobbyists is key —read this Politico article to learn more)

audit — an official inspection of an organization's accounts, usually by an independent body

WARM-UP QUESTIONS

1. Who are the individuals and groups included in this story?
2. What happened on the Alaska Airlines flight and the United flights included in this story?
3. Where are the FAA and NTSB located?
4. Why did Boeing fail so many audits?
5. How should the NTSB react to Boeing's unwillingness to cooperate with their investigation?

FOCUS QUESTIONS

What do you think needs to happen in order for passengers to feel safe flying Boeing manufactured airplanes?

Media literacy: What does Boeing have to say in response to the various topics included in this story? How could you find out more about what their reaction has been?

Alternative: See, Think, Wonder: What did you notice? What did the story make you think? What would you want to find out more about?

FOR MORE

What students can do:

1. Talk with a friend or family member about the Boeing news story and share any ideas that come to mind. If you wanted to follow up to get the latest updates on the Boeing story, what steps could you take?

You may also want read this story with them. It's about John Barnett, a former Boeing manager who had raised safety questions about the aircraft maker, and who was found dead outside a hotel in South Carolina, according to local authorities. What questions do you have after reading this story? Given the serious nature of the story, be sure to talk with your family member, teacher or friend about your thoughts following the piece.

2. Learn more about the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) by watching this video produced by the FAA. What are some of the first things you noticed? What are some new facts you learned? What questions do you have? What tone does the video set? Why do you think it might be important to view videos that are not produced by the FAA?

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