SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — A Senate subcommittee has subpoenaed Boeing CEO David Calhoun to testify about the company's jetliners following a whistleblower's safety allegations.
The panel said it will hear next week from Sam Salehpour, a Boeing quality engineer, who will detail safety concerns related to the manufacturing and assembly of the 787 Dreamliner. The subcommittee said in the letter that these problems could pose a "potentially catastrophic security risk."
Boeing would not say whether Calhoun plans to attend the April 17 hearing. In response to a question from The Associated Press, a spokesperson said only that the company is cooperating with the subcommittee's investigation and has "offered to provide documents, testimony and technical briefings.",
According to the subcommittee, the Federal Aviation Administration has also been investigating Salehpur's allegations since February. The FAA did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Salehpour, whose concerns were published in a New York Times article on Tuesday, is also expected to describe the retaliation she faced after bringing her concerns forward.
According to that account, Salehpour worked on the 787, but became concerned about changes to the main part of the plane, the fuselage assembly. According to Salehpur's description, the process involved fitting together huge sections of the torso manufactured by a different company and bonding them.Salehpour told the Times that he believed Boeing was taking shortcuts that resulted in excessive forces being applied to the assembly process, causing distortions in the composite materials used in the plane's outer skin. Such composites often contain layers of plastic reinforced by a mesh of carbon or glass fibers, which increases tensile strength and makes them a useful alternative to heavy metals.
But if composites are bent or otherwise deformed they may lose those benefits. According to the Times account, Salehpour alleged that such problems could increase material fatigue, potentially leading to premature failure of the composite. Over thousands of flights, those pieces of the airplane's structure may be at risk of breaking in flight.According to Salehpour's account, Boeing not only failed to take his concerns seriously, but also silenced him and transferred him to work on a different jetliner, a move he took as retaliation.
In a 1,500-word statement, Boeing said it was "absolutely confident" in dismissing concerns about structural integrity in the 787 as "false." Boeing said the issues raised in the Times story "do not raise any safety concerns" and said the 787 "will maintain its service life for many decades."
“Retaliation is strictly prohibited at Boeing,” the company said in a statement. The company said it encourages employees to "speak up when issues arise."Boeing's safety record has been put under the microscope since a door panel on 73 Max 9 jets burst over Oregon in early January. The panel left a space for an additional emergency door on the jet, which was operated by Alaska Airlines, the pilots were able to land safely, and there were no injuries.
But the discovery by crash investigators of missing bolts intended to secure the panel has rocked Boeing, which once boasted a deep safety culture, as Alaska Airlines and United Airlines — the two U.S. carriers that fly the Max 9 — Loose bolts and other hardware were also reported to be found in other panels. , suggesting that quality issues with the door plugs were not limited to one aircraft.
Both the 787 and 737 Max have been plagued by production defects, which have sporadically disrupted deliveries and left airlines short of planes during peak travel season.CEO Calhoun announced in March that he would retire at the end of the year. This followed the departure of another high-ranking Boeing executive, and Boeing's board chairman decided not to run for re-election in May.
The panel said it will hear next week from Sam Salehpour, a Boeing quality engineer, who will detail safety concerns related to the manufacturing and assembly of the 787 Dreamliner. The subcommittee said in the letter that these problems could pose a "potentially catastrophic security risk."
Boeing would not say whether Calhoun plans to attend the April 17 hearing. In response to a question from The Associated Press, a spokesperson said only that the company is cooperating with the subcommittee's investigation and has "offered to provide documents, testimony and technical briefings.",
According to the subcommittee, the Federal Aviation Administration has also been investigating Salehpur's allegations since February. The FAA did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Salehpour, whose concerns were published in a New York Times article on Tuesday, is also expected to describe the retaliation she faced after bringing her concerns forward.
According to that account, Salehpour worked on the 787, but became concerned about changes to the main part of the plane, the fuselage assembly. According to Salehpur's description, the process involved fitting together huge sections of the torso manufactured by a different company and bonding them.Salehpour told the Times that he believed Boeing was taking shortcuts that resulted in excessive forces being applied to the assembly process, causing distortions in the composite materials used in the plane's outer skin. Such composites often contain layers of plastic reinforced by a mesh of carbon or glass fibers, which increases tensile strength and makes them a useful alternative to heavy metals.
But if composites are bent or otherwise deformed they may lose those benefits. According to the Times account, Salehpour alleged that such problems could increase material fatigue, potentially leading to premature failure of the composite. Over thousands of flights, those pieces of the airplane's structure may be at risk of breaking in flight.According to Salehpour's account, Boeing not only failed to take his concerns seriously, but also silenced him and transferred him to work on a different jetliner, a move he took as retaliation.
In a 1,500-word statement, Boeing said it was "absolutely confident" in dismissing concerns about structural integrity in the 787 as "false." Boeing said the issues raised in the Times story "do not raise any safety concerns" and said the 787 "will maintain its service life for many decades."
“Retaliation is strictly prohibited at Boeing,” the company said in a statement. The company said it encourages employees to "speak up when issues arise."Boeing's safety record has been put under the microscope since a door panel on 73 Max 9 jets burst over Oregon in early January. The panel left a space for an additional emergency door on the jet, which was operated by Alaska Airlines, the pilots were able to land safely, and there were no injuries.
But the discovery by crash investigators of missing bolts intended to secure the panel has rocked Boeing, which once boasted a deep safety culture, as Alaska Airlines and United Airlines — the two U.S. carriers that fly the Max 9 — Loose bolts and other hardware were also reported to be found in other panels. , suggesting that quality issues with the door plugs were not limited to one aircraft.
Both the 787 and 737 Max have been plagued by production defects, which have sporadically disrupted deliveries and left airlines short of planes during peak travel season.CEO Calhoun announced in March that he would retire at the end of the year. This followed the departure of another high-ranking Boeing executive, and Boeing's board chairman decided not to run for re-election in May.
