Boeing’s Oversight of 737 Max Drew Rebuke of FAA Unions in 2017

Three unions representing aviation safety inspectors said in a sharply worded report months before the Boeing Co.’s 737 Max was approved for use that the planemaker was given too much authority to oversee itself and that the new jet had safety flaws.

The new version of the decades-old 737 was approved with a vulnerable flight-control system and flaws in its fuel tank because Boeing and Federal Aviation Administration management overruled front-line workers, the report charged.

The report, obtained by Bloomberg News, didn’t raise concerns about a safety feature implicated in two crashes since October that killed a total of 346 ...