WASHINGTON, May 6 (Reuters) - The Federal Aviation

Administration said on Monday it has opened an investigation

into the Boeing 787 Dreamliner after the planemaker said

some employees had committed "misconduct" by claiming some tests

had been completed.

The FAA said it is investigating whether Boeing ( BA ) completed

the inspections to confirm adequate bonding and grounding where

the wings join the fuselage on certain 787 Dreamliner airplanes

"and whether company employees may have falsified aircraft

records."

The agency said "at the same time, Boeing ( BA ) is reinspecting

all 787 airplanes still within the production system and must

also create a plan to address the in-service fleet."

Boeing ( BA ) shares were down 1.5% at $177.03 late on Monday

afternoon.

Asked for comment, Boeing ( BA ) provided an April 29 email from

Scott Stocker, who leads the company's 787 program, to employees

in South Carolina where the 787 is assembled.

In the email, Stocker said that an employee saw what

appeared to be an irregularity in a required 787 conformance

test.

Stocker said in the email that after receiving the report,

"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."

Stocker said Boeing ( BA ) promptly informed the FAA "about what we

learned and are taking swift and serious corrective action with

multiple" employees.

He added, "our engineering team has assessed that this

misconduct did not create an immediate safety of flight issue."

Boeing ( BA ) said in April it expects a slower increase in the

production rate and deliveries of its 787 Dreamliner widebody

jets as the company wrestles with supplier shortages "on a few

key parts."

A Boeing ( BA ) quality engineer recently criticized some of the

manufacturing practices on the 787 and 777 widebody programs and

testified last month before Congress.

The Justice Department is conducting a criminal

investigation into a Jan. 5 mid-air emergency of a Boeing 737

MAX 9.

The National Transportation Safety Board has said four key

bolts appeared to be missing from the plane that had been

delivered by Boeing ( BA ) months earlier. Boeing ( BA ) has said it believes

required documents detailing the removal of the bolts were never

created.