Boeing is not decided to play the expiatory victim. While the safety problems and recurring design flaws of three of the Seattle aircraft manufacturer’s main aircraft, the 777, the 787 and the 737, have been scrutinized by the United States Congress and during two hearings before a subcommittee of the American Senate, Wednesday April 17, in Washington, Boeing chose to face it. Before the Senate committee, Boeing quality engineer and whistleblower Sam Salehpour renewed his accusations against the aircraft manufacturer, affirming that the latter has, “repeatedly ignored serious concerns about safety and quality control in the construction of [long-courriers] 787 and 777”. He placed the members of the commission before their responsibilities: “I’m not here because I want to be here. I am here because (…) I don’t want to see a 787 or a 777 crash.”
Having worked for seventeen years at Boeing, he denounced “a culture that prioritizes production rates over safety and quality and encourages management to overlook significant defects in Boeing aircraft”. According to him, the 787 Dreamliner and the 777 have defects “potentially catastrophic”. According to his assertions, poorly assembled, the two sections of the fuselage of the long-haul 787 could detach in mid-flight.
Questioned by a Senate subcommittee however “dedicated to examining dysfunctions in Boeing’s safety culture”the quality engineer who continues to assert that Boeing “produces defective planes”, However, he did not provide the slightest evidence to confirm his accusations. “I have serious concerns about the safety of the 787 and am willing to take a professional risk to speak out about them”, he further indicated. He even said he was persecuted: “I was sidelined. I was told to shut up, I received physical threats. If something happens to me, I am at peace, because I have the feeling that, by testifying openly, I will save many lives”.
“Every person on board a Boeing is at risk”
On Wednesday, neither CEO Dave Calhoun nor Boeing representatives were interviewed. However, the aircraft manufacturer has denied the accusations which call into question the structural integrity of the 787. Two senior executives of the aircraft manufacturer explained that tests and inspections carried out on Dreamliners, some of which are in service for twelve years, had revealed no cracks or fatigue in the carbon fiber fuselage. Likewise, other Boeing executives took the opportunity to refute another of the whistleblower’s allegations, who claimed to have seen Boeing employees jumping on sections of the fuselage of 787 and 777 to align them.
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