Boeing whistleblower: ‘Absolutely’ a culture of retaliation

A Boeing whistleblower told a Senate committee Wednesday that he was silenced and intimidated after raising concerns about flaws in the aviation giant’s manufacturing processes.

Sam Salepour, a Boeing quality engineer, said parts of the fuselage of Boeing’s 787 Dreamliner were improperly joined together, which could cause the plane to disintegrate in flight after a long flight. He claimed the major airlines retaliated against him after he raised his concerns. of use.

“In its rush to address production bottlenecks, Boeing ran into problems and used excessive force to assemble parts to make it appear that there were no gaps, even though there were,” Salepour said. said. “The gap doesn’t actually close and can lead to premature fatigue failure. In effect, they’re sending out a defective plane.”

The allegations dealt a blow to a major airline that was already in trouble. The company is facing multiple investigations from regulators and lawmakers after the door plug on a 737 Max 9 jet blew off shortly after takeoff on a Jan. 5 Alaska Airlines flight.

Boeing CEO David Calhoun was invited to testify along with the whistleblower, but did not attend the hearing.

Salepour says he was isolated, transferred and threatened after consistently bringing manufacturing issues to Boeing.

“I want to make it clear that I have been raising these issues for three years. I have been ignored. I have been told not to delay. Frankly, I have been told to shut up. ” Salepour said.

When Sen. Roger Marshall (R-Kan.) asked if he thought there was a culture of retaliation at Boeing, Salepour said, “Absolutely.”

Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), the subcommittee chairman, held up a photo of a tire punctured by a bolt and offered it as an example of the retaliation and intimidation Mr. Salepour faced. said.

Salepour said he had no concrete evidence but believed the tire went flat while he was at work. Salepour said that when he had the tire replaced, he was told that the bolt could not be removed under “normal driving.”

Salepour also said her boss called her incessantly on his personal phone, telling her he would “kill” anyone who said what he said in a meeting. He said he was also prevented from documenting problems and sharing information with subject matter experts.

“There are growing serious allegations that Boeing has a broken safety culture and a series of unacceptable practices,” Blumenthal said, adding that the subcommittee is launching a bipartisan investigation and that Boeing has a broken safety culture and a series of unacceptable practices. and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) both said they expected to appear in court in advance. Committee.

Boeing did not immediately respond to a request for comment from The Hill. However, a Boeing spokesperson previously told The Hill that the company “understands the subcommittee’s important oversight responsibilities and is cooperating with this investigation.” We have offered to provide documentation, testimony, and technical briefings, and are discussing next steps with the subcommittee. ”

Ed Pearson, executive director of the Aviation Safety Foundation and a former Boeing Co. manager, told the committee that some of the responsibility lies with the FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), an independent agency responsible for investigating transportation accidents. Told.

“The gold standard has now become fool’s gold because the only thing more dangerous than a dangerous environment is the illusion of a safe environment,” Pearson said.

Pearson argued that authorities ignored Boeing’s manufacturing problems until the Alaska Airlines crash, and that the NTSB relied on Boeing employees for technical assistance in investigating the crash.

The FAA is investigating Boeing, and in February released a scathing report by a panel of aviation experts, criticizing Boeing’s “inadequate” and “disruptive” safety culture and calling for significant changes. presented 50 recommendations to bring about

“Procedures and training are complex and constantly changing, creating employee confusion, especially between different work sites and employee groups,” and there is a “lack of awareness of safety-related metrics” at all levels of the company. “I’m here.” to the report.

The Hill has reached out to the FAA and NTSB for comment.

“The good news is that Boeing employees and these agencies can overcome poor leadership. We need them to succeed,” Pearson said. “They are very capable and need support and encouragement, and these problems are solvable. But it starts with telling them the truth.”

Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.), the subcommittee’s ranking member, said he doesn’t want to “scare people that the American people know,” but that he doesn’t want to “scare people that the American people know about policy.” I hope they get on board.” Airplane,” “The testimony is more than troubling.”

Pearson offered a more dire message: “Unless action is taken and leaders held accountable, everyone aboard a Boeing plane is at risk.”