Words that send shivers down your spine. Four whistleblowers, including an engineer and former Boeing employees, testified this Wednesday before a US Senate committee to warn of “serious problems” production of Boeing 737 MAX, 787 Dreamliner and 777 aircraft. “I’m not here because I want to be here. I’m here because (…) I don’t want to see the crash of a 787 or a 777.”declared before the senators Sam Salehpour, quality engineer at Boeing for seventeen years, saying he “serious concerns about the safety of the 787 and 777”. “I was sidelined. I was told to shut up, I received physical threats”continued the engineer. “If something happens to me, I am at peace, because I have the feeling that, by testifying openly, I will save many lives”.
The nearly two-hour hearing was the first in a series during which officials from Boeing and the Civil Aviation Regulatory Agency (FAA) will be called to testify, Democratic Senator Richard Blumenthal said. , chairman of the commission of inquiry. “There are growing serious accusations that Boeing’s safety culture is broken and its practices are unacceptable”, noted Mr. Blumenthal, specifying that he had received numerous testimonies in recent days. It is a letter from his lawyers, notably to the American Civil Aviation Regulatory Agency (FAA), which is at the origin of the senatorial investigation.
“Nothing has changed after two crashes”
In addition to Mr. Salehpour, the commission of inquiry also heard Ed Pierson – a former manager of Boeing notably on the 737 MAX program -, Joe Jacobsen – who worked 25 years at the FAA after eleven years at Boeing – and Shawn Pruchnicki – aviation safety specialist and former airline pilot. “I did everything I could to tell the world that the MAX was still unsafe and to alert authorities to the dangers of Boeing production”, explained Mr. Pierson. But “nothing changed after the two crashes”. The 737 MAXs were grounded worldwide after two 737 MAX 8 accidents in 2018 and 2019 (346 deaths), due to design defects. “Unless action is taken and leaders are held accountable, every person boarding a Boeing is at risk”according to Mr. Pierson, who considered that the supervision of the American Civil Aviation Regulatory Agency (FAA) was “ineffective and reactive”.
Production-related reports have jumped 500% since January
“We know we still have work to do and we are taking action across the group”admitted the aircraft manufacturer after the hearing. “Retaliation is completely prohibited at Boeing”he assured, indicating that reports linked to production had jumped 500% since January, over one year. “We continue to put safety and quality above everything else”hammered the group, saying to themselves “confident in the safety and durability of the 787 and 777.” Boeing “must commit to real and profound improvements and we will hold them accountable at every stage”indicated the regulator after the hearing. “We will continue our incisive supervision” of Boeing, he added. Mr. Blumenthal had already called on the Justice Department to verify whether Boeing was honoring the agreement reached in 2021 to avoid a trial linked to the two accidents. The revelations during the hearing will undoubtedly further increase the pressure.
Three of the four models targeted by an investigation
Following the alert launched by Mr. Salehpour, the FAA opened an investigation into these two types of aircraft. From now on, three of the four models of commercial aircraft manufactured by the American group are officially the subject of an investigation by the regulator. It examines the family of the 737, Boeing’s flagship aircraft, after an Alaska Airlines 737 MAX 9 lost a cap door in flight on January 5. On this subject, Mr. Pierson denounced a “criminal concealment” when Boeing claims, according to the NTSB investigative authority, to have no documentation concerning manipulations on the cap holder in its factory. “This documentation exists (…) I transmitted it myself to the FBI”the federal police, “many months ago”, he said. According to an NTSB spokesperson on Wednesday, this agency “has not received any such documentation from either Boeing or any other entity.” An FAA audit identified “non-compliance issues” at the manufacturer and at its subcontractor Spirit AeroSystems. The Alaska incident occurred in the wake of several production issues in 2023, involving the 737 MAX and the Dreamliner.