Federal aviation regulators are looking into claims made by a Boeing engineer that the 787 Dreamliner has assembly flaws that endanger safety, US officials said Tuesday.
Attorneys for whistleblower Sam Salehpour accuse the business of prioritizing profit over safety and retaliating against him for raising concerns by “involuntarily” shifting him to the 777 program.
He reported more concerns during the 777 program, and his attorneys claim he was intimidated with firing.
The Federal Aviation Administration acknowledged the probe after the allegations were detailed in a New York Times report on Salehpour, who has worked at Boeing for more than ten years.
“Rather than heeding his warnings, Boeing prioritized getting the planes to market as quickly as possible, despite the known, well-substantiated issues Mr. Salehpour raised,” said attorneys Debra Katz and Lisa Banks, who pointed to “critical defects” on over 1,500 Boeing planes.
Boeing, which has been under fire for recent safety issues, offered a thorough defense of the aircraft, stating that it is “fully confident” in the Dreamliner and refuting allegations that it retaliated against the worker.
A Senate investigation committee has planned a hearing on April 17 titled “Examining Boeing’s Broken Safety Culture: Firsthand Accounts,” according to a representative for Democratic Senator Richard Blumenthal.
“Voluntary reporting without fear of reprisal is a critical component in aviation safety,” the FAA said.
Fewer plane deliveries
According to an FAA complaint released by Salehpour’s attorneys, “shortcuts” in Boeing’s assembly processes result in excessively large gaps between different plane parts, which could “ultimately cause a premature fatigue failure without any warning, thus creating unsafe conditions for the aircraft with potentially catastrophic accidents,” according to Salehpour.
“Our client’s concerns about the ‘schedule over safety’ culture at Boeing has been made all the more urgent as a result of the recent incidents involving defects in Boeing’s 737 MAX 9 airplanes,” the complaint said.
In its statement, Boeing stated that the flaws mentioned by the critic “have been subject to rigorous engineering examination under FAA oversight,” and that retaliation is “strictly prohibited” at the corporation.
The company also stated that charges regarding the 777 were “inaccurate.”
Boeing said it added “join verification” to manufacturing processes after lowering output and halting deliveries for nearly two years in response to employees reporting “conformance” difficulties with the 787.
“For the in-service fleet, comprehensive Boeing and FAA analysis determined there is no near-term safety of flight concern,” the plane maker said. “Based on the analysis and any future inspection, the 787 will maintain its strength, durability and service life.”
The whistleblower complaint follows a January Alaska Airlines 737 MAX 9 flight that made an emergency landing after a fuselage panel blew out mid-flight.
Following that event, the FAA halted Boeing’s MAX production output while demanding that the aircraft manufacturer improve operations and quality control. Boeing announced a leadership shakeup this month, including CEO Dave Calhoun’s scheduled departure at the end of 2024.
Earlier Tuesday, Boeing revealed drastically lower first-quarter aircraft deliveries. Following the January Alaska Airlines incident, company authorities cited production halts as part of heightened safety measures.
Boeing delivered 83 commercial airplanes in the first quarter, a 36% decrease from the same period last year.
Shares of Boeing fell 1.9 per cent.