FAA to audit Boeing after panel blew off jet mid-flight

A section of Alaska Airlines Flight 1282 that is missing a panel on a Boeing 737-9 Max in Portland, Oregon (PNTSB via AP)

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) will begin auditing Boeing’s aircraft production and increase oversight of the troubled manufacturer after a panel blew off a jetliner in mid-flight last week, the last in a string of mishaps for its marquee aircraft.

The agency’s move comes just a day after it announced an investigation into whether Boeing failed to make sure a fuselage panel that blew off was safe and manufactured to meet the design that regulators approved.