Boeing Addresses Safety Concerns Ahead of Whistleblower Testimony

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Boeing has asserted that it has not identified fatigue cracks on in-service 787 jets that have undergone extensive maintenance, as the aerospace giant defends its twin-aisle aircraft program ahead of a scheduled U.S. Senate hearing.

Last week, Boeing quality engineer Sam Salehpour, a whistleblower, raised safety concerns regarding the assembly of Boeing 787 and 777 jets used for international flights. Salehpour is scheduled to testify in the Senate hearing on Boeing’s safety culture, alleging that Boeing neglected safety protocols in the construction of its aircraft, particularly in the use of shims to fill tiny gaps in the 787 Dreamliner.

Salehpour’s allegations, currently under investigation by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), include claims of workers resorting to unconventional methods to align aircraft components, such as jumping on them.

In response, Boeing officials emphasized that there have been no airframe fatigue findings among the nearly 700 in-service Dreamliner jets that have undergone rigorous maintenance inspections after six and twelve years of service. Steve Chisholm, Boeing’s chief engineer for mechanical and structural engineering, assured that these results have been communicated to the FAA.

Boeing has been contending with safety issues that have tarnished its reputation, including a mid-air panel blowout incident involving a 737 MAX aircraft earlier this year. The company halted deliveries of the 787 widebody jet for over a year until August 2022, as the FAA probed quality concerns and manufacturing deficiencies. In 2021, Boeing acknowledged discrepancies in the size of shims used and areas that did not meet skin-flatness specifications on some 787 airplanes.