Four whistleblowers, including current and former Boeing employees, testified Wednesday before a US Senate committee to prevent “serious problems” in the production of Boeing’s 737 MAX, 787 Dreamliner and 777 planes.
“I’m not here because I want to be here. I am here because (…) I do not want to see the crash of a 787 or a 777,” Sam Salehpour, a quality engineer with the aircraft manufacturer for seventeen years, declared to the senators.
“I received physical threats”
“I have serious concerns about the safety of the 787 and I am willing to take a professional risk to speak out about it,” he said, saying he had also spotted problems on the 777.
“I was sidelined. I was told to shut up, I received physical threats,” the engineer continued. “If something happens to me, I am at peace, because I feel that by testifying openly, I will save many lives.” It is a letter sent by his lawyers to several recipients, including the American Civil Aviation Regulatory Agency (FAA), which is at the origin of the opening of a senatorial investigation.
Serious accusations against Boeing
Wednesday’s hearing will be followed by several others, with officials from Boeing and the FAA notably called to testify, said Democratic Senator Richard Blumenthal, chairman of the commission of inquiry, in the preamble.
“There are more and more serious accusations that the safety culture at Boeing is broken and that its practices are unacceptable,” noted Richard Blumenthal, specifying that he had received numerous testimonies in recent days. Boeing again defended its planes Wednesday before the hearing, saying it was still “confident in the safety and durability of the 787 and 777.” Two engineers notably denied during a briefing on Monday that some 1,400 Boeing planes had significant safety flaws.
“I did everything I could”
In addition to Sam Salehpour, the members of the commission of inquiry also heard for almost two hours Ed Pierson – a former manager of Boeing notably on the 737 MAX program -, Joe Jacobsen – who worked for 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,” Pierson said. But “nothing changed after the two crashes”.
The “ineffective” FFA
“Unless action is taken and leaders are held accountable, every person boarding a Boeing is at risk,” according to Mr. Pierson, who said the FAA’s oversight was “ineffective.” and responsive.
Richard Blumenthal had already called on the Department of Justice to verify whether Boeing respected 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.