Boeing whistleblower airs concerns on 787

A Boeing engineer told U.S. lawmakers he was harassed and threatened after raising concerns about the safety of the company’s planes.

Whistleblower Sam Salehpour said Wednesday his boss berated him during a 40-minute phone call and his tire was punctured by a nail.

His claims will be considered part of a congressional security investigation into the manufacturing giant.

Boeing said it was cooperating with the investigation.

The company did not immediately respond to a request for comment following the whistleblower hearing, one of two hearings in Washington on Wednesday focused on the company’s problems.

Alaska Airlines has been in crisis since the fuselage of one of its new Boeing 737 Max 9 aircraft broke apart after takeoff in January.

The passengers escaped serious injury, but the incident prompted the cancellation of thousands of flights and renewed scrutiny of Boeing, which had to ground its 737s after fatal crashes in 2018 and 2019 that killed 346 people. Max 8.

The hearing brought together three whistleblowers who are among the company’s most high-profile critics, including former FAA safety officials.

Sen. Richard Blumenthal, who is chairing the hearing, said his committee will investigate the company’s safety culture. He said the announcement of the hearing alone prompted other whistleblowers to come forward.

“This story is serious, even shocking,” he said. “There are growing and serious allegations that Boeing has a poor safety culture and engages in a range of unacceptable practices.”

He said it was a “moment of reckoning” for Boeing and promised more hearings involving the company itself.

The government’s preliminary investigation into the Alaska Airlines flight accident found that bolts from the explosive components were missing. The company is currently facing a criminal investigation and other lawsuits.

The chairman of the National Transportation Safety Board criticized Boeing and accused it of failing to fully cooperate with the investigation.

Another witness at the hearing, former Boeing manager Ed Pierson, now executive director of the Aviation Safety Foundation, accused Boeing of a “cover-up,” saying he personally shared information about the missing bolts with the FBI. relevant documents.

“Boeing does have some issues that must be addressed,” Senator Ron Johnson said, noting that there was pressure from all sides to keep the planes flying.

“We all want Boeing to succeed,” he said. “People don’t want to take the action that might be needed here. I think that’s just a scary reality.”

Mr Salepour, who has worked for Boeing for 17 years, reported his concerns to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) in January and went public with the matter earlier this month.

They focus on the Boeing 787, a wider plane that has been plagued by manufacturing problems although it was not involved in the Alaska Airlines flight or earlier fatal crashes.

He claimed that the various components that make up the aircraft’s fuselage were not connected correctly, which could increase the risk of failure over time.

The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said it was investigating the claims, but Boeing disputed them.

Mr. Salipur, who was in tears at one point, said he felt compelled to speak out because he was reminded of a rideshare partner who worked on the Challenger space shuttle and whose concerns were ignored. In 1986, a space shuttle exploded in flight.

He said Boeing has moved him into a different position, making it harder for him to attend events such as doctor’s appointments.

Salipour said he had “no evidence” that the nails in the tires were connected to Boeing, but he believed it happened while he was at work.

“This is the hell I’ve been through,” he said.