Another Boeing engineer has turned whistleblower, with a filing to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the publication in the New York Times last week of damaging revelations about neglect and poor practice on the 787 Dreamliner production line. The allegations are such that a US Senate subcommittee has called a special hearing to air the concerns.
Boeing is in the midst of a reputationally-disastrous period, after a recent series of safety incidents involving its planes, including a plug door blowing out mid-air, plane noses and wheels falling off and engines disintegrating.
The FAA grounded the company’s supposed cash-cow MAX 9 for further tests after the plug door problem went viral and, with the firm’s share prices dropping and Boeing falling behind Airbus for orders, top executives have announced their departures.
The spectacular catalogue of problems followed allegations by John Barnett, a former quality manager who had over 32 years’ experience working at the manufacturer. After beginning to testify against the firm earlier in 2024, Barnett died from a gunshot wound sustained in his car.
The second whistleblower to come forward, Sam Salehpour, a Boeing quality engineer, has reiterated accusations made by Barnett – that the manufacturer rushed production line processes in order to try to “reduce bottlenecks” and meet order deadlines.
This included various parts that had been made in different places being forced to fit together which meant “people jumping on the airplanes to get pieces to align,” Salehpour said during a press briefing. “This can cause damage to the parts,” he noted. “We are talking about airplanes, not pieces of furniture that require home assembly.”
Alleging the practice “placed excessive stress on major airplane joints, and embedded drilling debris between key joints on more than 1000 planes,” a statement from Salehpour’s legal representatives at Katz Banks Kumin also pointed out: “These errors in the manufacturing process significantly reduce the lifespan of the plane and may be difficult to identify.”
Boeing, which is also reported to have retaliated against Salehpour by moving him away from the Dreamliner assembly line, says it is fully cooperating with the committee investigation. Its CEO David Calhoun, one of those due to step down soon, will appear before the inquiry. The manufacturer has declared full confidence in the Dreamliner, saying in a statement that “claims about the structural integrity of the 787 are inaccurate and do not represent the comprehensive work Boeing has done to ensure the quality and long-term safety of the aircraft. The issues raised have been subject to rigorous engineering examination under FAA oversight.”
Source TravelTomorrow
