Four months after a door panel blew off mid-flight on a Boeing 737 Max… a senate hearing was held to investigate concerns from a Boeing whistleblower.
Not only did the hearing dive into Boeing’s safety practices…
It also spotlighted the company’s culture of addressing workers’ concerns…
Here’s the story…
Senate Committee Questions Boeing Whistleblower And Witnesses
On April 17th, Boeing whistleblower, Sam Salehpour…
Described his concerns with the company.
Salehpour, a Boeing engineer, raised concerns regarding the safety of the planes being shipped to airlines. He claims that…
“THEY ARE PUTTING OUT DEFECTIVE AIRPLANES.”
Salehpour said in his opening statement that he has tried to address these security issues with higher-ups at Boeing…
And was effectively told to “shut up”.
He stated that workers at Boeing carelessly used excessive force when aligning sections of panels on jets…
With some individuals jumping on the plane to align the panels.
Eventually, this force, when aligning panels, can potentially cause metal fatigue…
Which can cause cracks in the panels, causing them to break apart.
Another witness addressing the committee was Ed Pierson…
A former Boeing manager and current Foundation for Aviation Safety executive director. In his statement, he accused Boeing of a criminal cover-up.
The lack of paperwork Boeing provided for the Alaska Airlines flight with the door blowout is what Pierson found suspicious:
“RECORDS DO EXIST DOCUMENTING IN DETAIL THE HECTIC WORK DONE ON THE ALASKA AIRLINES AIRPLANE AND BOEING’S CORPORATE LEADERS KNOW IT TOO…”
In recent weeks, many more whistleblowers have come forward despite fearing intense retaliation. With Salehpour being among them.
In his statement, he shares that as he brought up his concerns, the company threatened to fire him, or worse.
As for Boeing’s response…
Leaves audiences with a lot to be desired.
Boeing’s Response
Despite the whistleblower Salehpour’s concerns…
Boeing issued a statement asserting that their planes are in perfect condition.
Boeing claims that after hundreds of planes have been tested, they have proven safe.
However, before any of these planes can make it back onto the runway, each one needs to be approved by the Federal Aviation Administration.
As for the workers’ claims and fears of retaliation…
Boeing says it encourages workers to come forward with any safety concerns that they have. Employee safety reports have since exploded…
WITH MORE REPORTS IN FEBRUARY OF 2024 THAN IN THE ENTIRETY OF 2023.
Yet, there is still a lot Boeing isn’t telling us…
Contrarily, a survey found that most Boeing employees (potential whistleblowers included)…
Have no clue where to report concerns.
95 PERCENT OF THE [EMPLOYEES] WHO RESPONDED TO THE SURVEY DID NOT KNOW WHO THE CHIEF OF SAFETY WAS
In the words of a witness on the committee, Javier de Luis…
“There exists a disconnect, for lack of a better word, between the words that are being said by Boeing management and what is being seen and experienced by employees across the company,”
Boeing’s Future
Whatever lies ahead for Boeing and the whistleblower who came forward still is up for debate…
As for the plane manufacturer,
It’s clear that they’re in for a rough landing.
Be Great,
GCTV Staff
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