Boeing whistleblower claims retaliation: NPR

WASHINGTON — Longtime Boeing engineer Sam Salehpour released alarming statements this week about two of the company’s jets, including the 787 Dreamliner.

In a virtual meeting with reporters, Salehpour said Boeing was so eager to meet its production goals that it took “shortcuts” by attaching the 787’s carbon composite fuselage. This could significantly reduce the lifespan of the plane, he warned: which could cause it to break up in mid-flight.

“I’m doing this not because I want Boeing to fail, but because I want it to succeed and avoid accidents,” Salehpour said. “The truth is Boeing can’t continue like this. It has to do a little better, I think.”

Boeing disputes Salehpour’s claims, calling them “inaccurate” and saying the company has “full confidence” in the 787.

Salehpour joins a growing list of current and former Boeing employees who say the company ignored their concerns — and then retaliated against them when they spoke up. The company denies this, but aviation experts say Boeing needs to do a better job of listening to its employees.

The latest allegations come as Boeing struggles to rebuild trust with airlines and the public after a 737 Max 9’s in-flight door catch panel exploded in January.

This incident has already forced CEO Dave Calhoun to announce his departure at the end of the year. And that prompted the company’s chief financial officer, Brian West, to acknowledge that Boeing had made mistakes.

“For years, we prioritized moving the plane through the factory over getting it done right. And that needs to change,” West said at an investor conference last month. Boeing executives also need to listen better to their employees, he said.

A “disconnect” between Boeing executives and the factory

In its statement on the latest allegations, Boeing said all employees are encouraged “to speak up when issues arise. Retaliation is strictly prohibited at Boeing.”

But independent experts charged with evaluating the company’s safety practices say that’s not how many Boeing employees see it.

“You can’t have a safety culture where the people doing the work don’t believe what they hear,” said Javier de Luis, a lecturer in the Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Technology.

De Luis’ sister, Graziella, died in the crash of Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302 in 2019. De Luis was part of a panel convened by the Federal Aviation Administration after the crash of that Boeing 737 Max 8 , and another the year before, which killed 346 people. people in total.

De Luis says the panel found a “disconnect” between Boeing management and the factory.

“It’s one thing to hear, ‘Yes, speak up if you see something wrong.’ And then you go and talk to the people who are doing the work. And they say, “Yeah, but my buddy talked and the next thing he knew he was being transferred or he was being transferred.” gave notes for minor things,” said de Luis.

Other whistleblowers claim to have suffered reprisals

Former Boeing mechanic Davin Fischer says he spoke out and paid a high price.

Fischer worked for Boeing as a mechanic at the Renton, Washington, plant where the company builds the 737 Max. He says Boeing executives were constantly pushing to speed up production.

“Hey, we need to go faster, faster, faster,” Fischer said. “They cared more about shareholders and investors than planes, their employees, or anything.”

When Fischer finally pushed back, he said he was demoted in retaliation and then fired from the company in 2019. Fischer says many of his friends who still work at Boeing are afraid to speak out.

“The people there are one hundred percent afraid,” he said. “Because they don’t want to get fired.”

There’s also the example of John Barnett, a longtime quality manager who blew the whistle on Boeing in 2019, alleging the company was covering up serious flaws with the 787 Dreamliner.

“I’m not going to lie, it’s been hard for me. It’s been hard for my family. I’m still dealing with issues. I still have anxiety attacks, PTSD,” Barnett said in a 2019 interview with Ralph Nader. (Nader’s great-niece, Samya Stumo, was killed in the crash of Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302).

Barnett said his managers at Boeing retaliated by cutting his pay and creating a hostile environment, ultimately forcing him to take early retirement.

“It took a mental and emotional toll on me. But you know, I want to strive to stay focused on the safety of the plane. That’s what my story is about,” Barnett said. “It keeps me up at night. I can’t sleep. It’s cost me a lot of money.”

Barnett filed a wrongful termination suit against Boeing. On the third day of depositions in the case last month, Barnett was found dead in his truck from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound, according to South Carolina police.

Latest whistleblower says Boeing must be held accountable for its mistakes

Boeing’s latest whistleblower, engineer Sam Salehpour, claims to have also been subject to retaliation. His lawyer, Debra Katz, says Salehpour raised his concerns with leaders on several occasions.

“At first he was just told to shut up. Then he was told he was a problem. Then he was excluded from meetings,” Katz said. “He wasn’t allowed to talk to structural engineers. He wasn’t allowed to talk to mathematicians and other people to help him understand the data. And at one point, his boss ‘threatened physical violence.’

Katz says Salehpour flagged the threat to human resources. That’s when Boeing transferred him from the 787 to another plane. Salehpour nevertheless insists that he is not angry.

“Despite the treatment and retaliation I received at the company, I am not bitter,” Salehpour told reporters this week. “Boeing must understand that implementing a true safety culture also means accountability, admitting mistakes and correcting those that have been made for 20 years.”

Salehpour will have another chance to share his story next week, when he is scheduled to testify before a Senate subcommittee on Wednesday.

Boeing has also been invited, but it is more likely that someone from the company will testify later.