The Federal Aviation Administration opened a new investigation into Boeing after the planemaker informed the regulator last month that it may not have performed some required inspections on new 787 planes coming off the production line.

“The FAA is investigating whether Boeing completed the inspections and whether company employees may have falsified aircraft records. At the same time, Boeing is reinspecting all 787 airplanes still within the production system and must also create a plan to address the in-service fleet,” a statement from the FAA said. “As the investigation continues, the FAA will take any necessary action – as always – to ensure the safety of the flying public.”

USA TODAY received a copy of a memo that 787 program lead Scott Stocker sent to Boeing employees last week addressing the issue.

According to the document, a whistleblower alerted his manager that there were “irregularities” regarding a conformance test where the wings meet the body of the fuselage.

Cruising Altitude: How to understand what's going on at Boeing

“We quickly reviewed the matter and learned that several people had been violating company policies by not performing a required test, but recording the work as having been completed,” the memo said. “We promptly informed our regulator about what we learned and are taking swift and serious corrective action with multiple teammates.”

Boeing said its engineering teams are confident the issue does not create any flight safety concerns for the aircraft. However, it’s likely to lead to further production delays as the tests have to be conducted in planes that haven’t already had them done.

It’s the latest headache and reputational stain for Boeing, which has been under intense scrutiny from regulators and consumers alike this year in the wake of an inflight 737 Max fuselage failure and other reports about issues in its production line.

Alaska Airlines, which operated the 737 Max that had the January incident, has received $162 million in cash compensation from Boeing so far this year, and an additional $61 million in credits toward future purchases.

Contributing: Reuters

Zach Wichter is a travel reporter for USA TODAY based in New York. You can reach him at zwichter@usatoday.com.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Boeing says 787 records may be false, prompting new FAA investigation