American aircraft manufacturer Boeing on Monday defended its criticized safety methods on its production lines, two days before a delicate hearing in Congress on a whistleblower’s claims about the Dreamliner 787 in particular. The company is said to be “confident in the safety and sustainability” of its devices.
During a briefing Monday with two of his top engineers, Boieng highlighted the many testing procedures his devices are subjected to, reiterating his “complete confidence” in the 787. A hearing will be held this Wednesday before a Senate subcommittee in Washington, titled “Investigating the Dysfunctions of Boeing’s Safety Culture: Eyewitness Accounts.”
This will be an opportunity to investigate the allegations made by whistleblower Sam Salehpour, a Boeing engineer. It reported that design and manufacturing defects in the fuselages of the 787, or Dreamliner, and the 777 could reduce the safety durability of these long-haul aircraft. He claimed he suffered retaliation for speaking out about what he considered poor safety practices at Boeing.
The hearing comes as regulators and politicians are scrutinizing the plane maker more closely following a near-disastrous Jan. 5 flight on Alaska Airlines. A 737 MAX then lost a poorly sealed door mid-flight, causing an emergency landing.
Compliance with the relevant standards?
The whistleblower’s allegations state that the 787 Dreamliner contains much larger gaps between parts than standard, which “could ultimately lead to premature failure due to wear and tear without any warning.” The quality department engineer says this could cause unsafe conditions and even “potentially catastrophic accidents,” according to an official federal complaint made public by the whistleblower’s attorneys.
Steve Chisholm, chief engineer of Boeing Mechanical and Structural Engineering, told reporters gathered at the factory in Charleston, South Carolina, and via videoconference that “no wear” was observed during testing.
A difficult pass
“We were not surprised by the lack of wear results,” said Chisholm, who noted that the composite materials behind the 787 were chosen because they do not corrode like traditional metals. Salehpour, described by his lawyers as a veteran quality engineer at Boeing, criticized Boeing for a series of “shortcuts” that “potentially enabled defective installations in 787 fleets,” according to the FAA complaint.
Boeing is going through a difficult time after several incidents. These are now three of the four commercial aircraft models currently manufactured by the US group that are officially the target of an investigation by the American Civil Aviation Regulatory Agency (FAA). The US civil aviation regulator, which has been closely monitoring Boeing’s favorite 737 since January, is also investigating the 787 Dreamliner and the 777, the structural integrity of which is being questioned by this whistleblower.
Sami Nemli with Agency / ECO Inspirations
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