U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal (left) greets Boeing engineer Sam Salehpour as he arrives to testify before the U.S. Senate Investigating Subcommittee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs during a hearing on ” Examining Boeing’s Broken Safety Culture: Firsthand Accounts,” on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, April 17, 2024.
Drew Angerer | Afp | Getty Images
BoeingThe plane’s safety and quality came under fire again in two Senate hearings on Wednesday, as the manufacturer faces increasing scrutiny after an in-flight door explosion and near-disaster of the plane one of its planes in January.
A Boeing engineer-turned-whistleblower testified before a Senate panel, repeating his allegations that the aircraft maker cut corners to move the jumbo jets through the production line, despite defects. Sam Salehpour alleged that the company failed to adequately fill the tiny gaps at meeting points on the fuselage of the 787 Dreamliner, and that this could “ultimately cause premature fatigue failure without any warning,” according to his testimony. A shim is a thin piece of material used to fill tiny gaps.
“I believe Boeing can do better and that public confidence in Boeing can be restored,” he said in prepared remarks to the Senate Homeland Security Committee ahead of the Safety Culture Review hearing. Broken Boeing: First-Hand Accounts.
Boeing has denied the allegations, calling them inaccurate, and defended the plane and its tests. On Monday, the company gave reporters about a two-hour briefing on what it described as exhaustive fatigue tests on the 787 and 777 planes, saying it found no safety risks.
Scott Kirby, CEO of United Airlinesa major Dreamliner operator, brushed aside concerns about the plane on Wednesday.
“I have complete confidence that the 787 is a safe airplane,” he told CNBC’s Squawk Box.
However, the explosion of a door panel of a Boeing 737 Max 9 on January 5, when a Alaska Airlines The flight was at 16,000 feet once again putting Boeing’s safety culture in the spotlight and causing a crisis at the manufacturer. Deliveries of Boeing’s new planes have slowed as the Federal Aviation Administration tightens its control over the company’s production lines.
Boeing CEO Dave Calhoun announced last month that he would step down by the end of the year, while Boeing would replace the head of its commercial aircraft division and the chairman of the board.
A separate hearing before the Senate Commerce Committee on Wednesday focused on Boeing’s safety culture after a report released earlier this year by a congressionally mandated panel found a “disconnect” between senior Boeing management and other members of the organization regarding safety culture.
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