Boeing engineers who went public last week with safety concerns about the company's 787 Dreamliner told a Senate committee Wednesday that shortcuts the company is taking, if left unchecked, could ultimately lead to crashes. He said he was concerned that this might happen.
Engineer Sam Salepour testified that Boeing introduced production shortcuts to address bottlenecks that could have caused the plane to break apart mid-flight. Salepour said the company knowingly shipped defective aircraft and that he was punished by his superiors for voicing his concerns.
Salepour told the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee's Subcommittee on Investigations that “Boeing's own data shows that the company has not been able to determine whether the 787 was manufactured in a way that could significantly reduce the safety and lifecycle of the 787.'' I concluded that they were cutting corners.”
“A detail as small as a human hair can be the difference between life and death,” Salepour said.
Salepour, who has worked for Boeing for more than a decade, said the problem stems from changes in the way the Dreamliner's sections are secured during the manufacturing process. Boeing acknowledged that manufacturing changes were made, but said the durability of the plane was not affected, and the company continues to express confidence in the plane and its safety.
Boeing said in a statement before the hearing that, “After extensive and rigorous testing and extensive maintenance of approximately 700 aircraft in service to date, we have found no evidence of aircraft fatigue.” , adding that the company is “fully confident in the fatigue of the aircraft.” Airplane safety and durability.
Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), the subcommittee chairman, added that while the committee doesn't want Boeing to fail, the company needs to be held accountable.
“The company used to be an outstanding company in engineering and safety,” Blumenthal said. “We want to restore the shine to our reputation and business, which has sadly been tarnished.”
Salepour's appearance at the Capitol comes about a week after reporting the New York Times' claims about the Dreamliner, Boeing's main product and a wide-body jet that has caused problems for the company over the years. It appeared.
Mr. Salepour went public at a time when Boeing was already facing questions over the quality and safety of its airliners after a door panel on a 737 MAX blew off during an Alaska Airlines flight in January. The company has since been investigated by the Federal Aviation Administration and the Department of Justice over the episode.
Salepour's claims about the Dreamliner's heavy reliance on lightweight composite materials were the latest blow to the plane maker's reputation. He said parts of the aircraft were improperly secured and could break apart mid-flight after thousands of flights.
On Monday, the company invited reporters to its South Carolina factory, where the Dreamliner is assembled, to try to refute Mr. Salepour's claims. Two senior engineers detailed the extensive testing the aircraft underwent and said the company found no evidence of fatigue in the aircraft's composite structure.
There were no witnesses from Boeing at the hearing. Last month, Blumenthal and the subcommittee's top Republican, Sen. Ron Johnson of Wisconsin, sent a letter to Boeing CEO Dave Calhoun asking him to testify on Wednesday. Boeing is in talks with senators about appearing before the subcommittee.
“Boeing understands the subcommittee's important oversight responsibilities and is cooperating with this investigation,” the company said in a statement. “We have offered to provide documentation, testimony and technical briefings, and are consulting with the subcommittee on next steps.”
Salepour testified alongside fellow Boeing whistleblower Ed Pearson. Pearson is a former senior manager who left the company in 2018 and testified before Congress the following year after two fatal crashes involving the 737 MAX. They were joined by Joe Jacobsen, an engineer who has worked for Boeing and the FAA, and Sean Pulcznicki, a former airline pilot who teaches at Ohio State University.
The Senate Commerce Committee also held its own hearing on Boeing on Wednesday. The committee heard from members of the expert panel that wrote the recent FAA report condemning Boeing's safety culture.
Javier de Luis, a lecturer in aeronautics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, lost his sister Graziela de Luis Ponce when a 737 MAX operated by Ethiopian Airlines crashed in 2019. He said there is a wide disconnect between what Boeing management says and the reality for Boeing employees. .
“They hear that safety is our top priority, and what they see is that that remains true as long as production milestones are met,” De Luis said. Told.