The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is seeking $3.1 million in fines against Boeing over safety violations, including the January 2024 midair blowout of a door plug panel on an Alaska Airlines Boeing 737 Max 9.

The violations occurred between September 2023 and February 2024, the FAA said Friday. In the January incident, a paneled-over exit door, known as a door plug, detached shortly after takeoff from Portland, Oregon. None of the 171 passengers or six crew members were seriously injured, and the pilots safely returned the plane to the airport.

A 17-month investigation by the National Transportation Safety Board attributed the incident to lapses in Boeing’s manufacturing and oversight, along with ineffective FAA inspections and audits. The FAA cited hundreds of quality system violations at Boeing’s Renton, Washington, 737 factory and at subcontractor Spirit AeroSystems’ facility in Wichita, Kansas.

Read: Boeing fighter jet builders launch strike after rejecting contract offer

The regulator also found that a Boeing employee pressured an FAA-authorized Designated Engineering Representative to certify a 737 Max despite non-compliance with safety standards to meet delivery schedules.

Boeing has 30 days to respond and said it is reviewing the proposed penalty, emphasizing safety and quality improvements implemented under FAA oversight last year.

The 737 Max, Boeing’s bestselling jet, has faced persistent scrutiny following crashes in 2018 and 2019 that killed 346 people.

Source: Agency