Whistleblower urges Boeing to ground all 787
Dreamliners after safety warning
Engineer Sam Salehpour calls on planemaker ahead of
testimony before Senate homeland security committee
Callum
Jones in New York
Tue 16 Apr
2024 21.23 BST
https://www.theguardian.com/business/2024/apr/16/boeing-whistleblower-787-dreamliner
A
whistleblower has urged Boeing to ground every 787 Dreamliner jet worldwide
after warning they are at risk of premature failure ahead of a high-profile
hearing on Capitol Hill.
The
planemaker has been grappling with its latest crisis since a cabin panel
blowout in January raised fresh questions about the production of its
bestselling commercial jet, the 737 Max.
But the
Federal Aviation Administration is now investigating allegations by the Boeing
engineer Sam Salehpour that the manufacturing giant took shortcuts to reduce
production bottlenecks while making the 787. He also raised issues about the
production of the 777, another wide-body jet.
Salehpour,
who has worked at Boeing for more than a decade, says he faced retaliation,
including threats and exclusion from meetings, after raising concerns over
issues including a gap between parts of the fuselage of the 787.
Asked if
Boeing should ground 787 jets for inspection, he told NBC News: “The entire
fleet worldwide, as far as I’m concerned right now, needs attention. And the
attention is, you need to check your gaps and make sure that you don’t have
potential for premature failure.”
Boeing has
insisted the 787 and 777 are safe, and that retaliation against whistleblowers
are not tolerated inside the company. At a briefing on Monday, executives
described how a rigorous program of tests and inspections had left the firm
confident of the jets’ durability.
“I have
come forward, and I have extended my neck,” Salehpour told NBC, “but you know,
I’m at peace with myself. Because this is going to save a lot of people’s
lives.”
Salehpour
is due to testify on Wednesday before senators on the homeland security
committee.
After
scrambling to reassure regulators, airlines and passengers in the wake of
January’s blowout, Dave Calhoun, Boeing’s chief executive, and Larry Kellner,
chairman of its board, announced plans to resign last month.
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