Boeing is facing newly revealed whistleblower claims that its 787 Dreamliner planes have structural failings that could eventually cause them to break apart, adding to the unprecedented crisis facing the aviation giant.
The Federal Aviation Administration is investigating claims made by Boeing engineer Sam Salehpour, The New York Times reported on Tuesday.
In a lengthy response, Boeing strongly disputed the claims and said it was “fully confident” in the 787.
But the new allegations come at a bruising time for the Virginia-based company, two weeks after CEO Dave Calhoun and other senior executives announced they would step down following a series of damaging stories about the safety of its jets.
Calhoun said the door plug blow-out on a Boeing 737 Max plane flown by Alaska Airlines in January was a “watershed moment for Boeing” — and now the company he leads until the end of the year is again forced to defend its safety record and protocols.
Salehpour, who has worked at Boeing for more than 10 years and has sent his allegations to the FAA, said that a change to the construction process had introduced shortcuts that caused parts of the plane’s fuselage to be improperly fastened together. These parts could, he warned, fall apart after thousands of flights.
He told The New York Times that the plane’s fuselage comes in several large pieces from different manufacturers that are fastened together on an assembly line.
In 2019, The Times spoke to other Boeing whistleblowers at the plant in Charleston, South Carolina, where the 787 is made. They alleged that workers were pressured to work quickly on the planes and that concerns were ignored.
One of those whistleblowers — John Barnett, a former Boeing quality inspector who raised safety concerns at the Charleston plant — was found dead in the city in March while conducting legal action against the company. A legal expert has said his lawsuit could continue posthumously.
It appears that Salehpour had previously sent his…
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