giants in the world.

So its troubles are# a major issue for the aviation indust And they were once again front and center# today.

Concerns are growing over Boeing's 737## MAX jetliners following a series of safety# and quality control issues.

Last month,## a door panel blew off an Alaska Airlines 737 MAX# 9 jet shortly after taking off from Portland,## Oregon.

No one was seriously injured.

The FAA grounded Boeing 737 MAX 9 planes after# th the National Transportation Safety Board released# its preliminary report into that incident.## Investigators believe several bolts had been# removed to repair rivets on the door panel's frame## that had been damaged in the production process.# But the missing bolts were never replaced.

The weeks since that incident have brought other# issues.

On Sunday, Boeing said a supplier found## improperly drilled holes on window frames in# some of their undelivered MAX planes.

And,## in December, Boeing alerted airlines to# inspect their 737 MAX aircraft for loose## bolts after two planes were missing the# parts in their rudder control systems.

Back in 2018 and 2019, the 737 MAX's MCAS# flight control software systems led to## deadly crashes in Indonesia and Ethiopia that# killed 346 people.

Boeing fixed the system,## but that issue grounded the# MAX jets for nearly two years.

This morning, the head of the# Federal Aviation Administration,## Michael Whitaker, faced questions before a# House comm REP. GARRET GRAVES (R-LA): Looking back at what# happened in the aftermath of the MAX incidents,## I can't help but think that the FAA had# a lot of trouble walking and chewing gu candidly.

I think that they really# struggled with being able to carry## out all of their duties and responsibilities.

GEOFF BENNETT: Whitaker said the FAA# is now working to get more in to facilities to provide better oversight.

MICHAEL WHITAKER, Administrator, Federal# ha line or in maintenance stations, where# inspectors are actually on the ground## talking to people and looking# at the work that's being done.

GEOFF BENNETT: Ed Pierson is a former senior# manager at Boeing's 737 Washington.

He was involved in the# development of the Boeing MAX airplanes.

What exactly did you witness?

ED PIERSON, Former Senior Manager, Boeing:# incredible pressure, extreme pressure# being placed on manufacturing employees, those employees that worked on the# factory floor by executives.

And we## saw that pressure leading to process# breakdowns in our production system.

GEOFF BENNETT: And what was the response from# senior leadership when you raised those concerns?

ED PIERSON: Oh, they didn't want to# hear it.

The only thing they wanted## to hear is how fast the planes can unfortunately, it's the same metric today.# We have seen this for the last six years.

GEOFF BENNETT: In an interview on# CNBC last week, Boeing CEO Dave## Calhoun addressed concerns about the company's# safety issues and oversight of DA VE CALHOUN, CEO, Boeing: We're# going to learn from it.

And,## yes, the subject of how we in that will be a subject that we will# be working at for quite a long time.

GEOFF BENNETT: And we should say that Boeing## declined the " But shortly after the NTSB# released its report today,## Boeing issued a statement saying -- quote# -- "An event like this must an airplane that leaves our factory" and# said it was putting new inspections in## place for the door panel assembly and with its# suppliers throughout the manufacturing proc Let's turn now to our aviation correspondent,## Miles O'Brien.

Miles, it's# always great to se So, Boeing is facing scrutiny for issues with its corporate culture.

You had this# blowout of the Alaska airplane's door panel back## in January.

You had those two deadly crashes# some five years ago.

What accounts for it?

MILES O'BRIEN: Well, this is# a company that's in a heated## competition with Airbus to maintain market share.

And, right now, it's losing.

Certainly,# since the twin MAX accidents, they have## lost a lot of market share.

So there's a# lot of pressure to produce aircraft.

And## any time you have that pressure to go fast,# it almost always runs up against safety.

And when you have a situation where a door# is taken off, and there's not a checklist,## there's no paperwork or virtual paperwork# pulled, that the parts aren't even properly## cared for or inventoried, you have got a system# that's just broken.

And the company admits it.

GEOFF BENNETT: And there's a question# about the role of the FAA in all of this,## because the FAA chief told lawmakers today the## current system is not working because# it's not deliver So what's their role in all of this and what# does accountability look like for that age MILES O'BRIEN: At the heart of this, Geoff,## is something the And what that means is, employees# of the company, Boeing employees,## are given authority to inspect and certify the# aircraft.

Well, there's an obvious conflict of## interest there.

This has to do as anything with# the fact that the FAA does not have the resources## to put inspectors on those factory floors actually# looking over the shoulders of these workers.

So there is a fundamental concern here about# whether the FAA needs to have congressional## authority, which is to say, appropriations and a# little more money, to put more inspectors in the## field or at least create some kind of third# party that doesn't have a dog in the hunt.

GEOFF BENNETT: Miles, I got to tell you, Ed# Pierson, the former Boeing senior manager I## spoke with in that report, he said that# he wouldn't fly a Boeing MAX plane under## any circumstances, and he advises his# family and friends against it as well.

Does the flying public have reason to be concerned# about flying on one of these Boeing jets?

MILES O'BRIEN: Well, I suppose you could make an# argument, Geoff, that right now that aircraft is## among the safest in the fleet, given the amount# of scrutiny it's had since that incident I worry more about the system, writ# large, Geoff.

Coming after the pandemic,## we have had a colossal brain drain# in aviation, in control towers,## on flight decks, and on the factory floors at# Boeing.

A lot of experience is no longer ther You couple that with unprecedented demand# for aviation, air travelers want to get## back on those planes and seeing# the world, and then added to that,## you have the regulatory failure of the FAA.

They# should have people looking over those shoulders,## watching people put those# bolts back in, hopefully.

And, ultimately, they need to modernize the# system.

They have delayed for many years,## for lack of money and impetus, to modernize# the system to make it safer.

So I worry## about the system, writ large, more than I# worry about a particular kind of aircraft.

GEOFF BENNETT: Miles O'Brien,## thanks MILES O'BRIEN: You're welcome, Geoff.