https://www.cnn.com/2024/04/09/business/boeing-787-whistleblower/index.html
CNN
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Federal authorities say they’re investigating Boeing after a whistleblower repeatedly raised concerns with two widebody jet models, and claimed the company retaliated against him.
Whistleblower Sam Salehpour, a Boeing engineer, alleges that Boeing took shortcuts when manufacturing its 777 and 787 Dreamliner jets, and that the risks could become catastrophic as the airplanes age. The New York Times was first to report the whistleblower complaint.
His formal complaint to the Federal Aviation Administration, filed in January and made public on Tuesday, is not specific to the newer 737 Max jet that has been grounded twice by the Federal Aviation Administration.
Salehpour on Tuesday said his complaint raises “two quality issues that may dramatically reduce the life of the planes.”
In this March 14, 2019, file photo, a worker walks next to a Boeing 737 MAX 8 airplane parked at Boeing Field in Seattle. Boeing said Thursday, July 18, it will take a $4.9 billion charge to cover possible compensation to airlines whose Max jets remain grounded after two deadly accidents.
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“I am doing this not because I want Boeing to fail, but because I want it to succeed and prevent crashes from happening,” Salehpour told reporters on a conference call Tuesday. “The truth is Boeing can’t keep going the way it is. It needs to do a little bit better, I think.”
The FAA has interviewed Salehpour as part of its investigation, his attorney Lisa Banks said. The FAA said it investigates all whistleblower complaints.
“Voluntary reporting without fear of reprisal is a critical component in aviation safety,” the FAA said. “We strongly encourage everyone in the aviation industry to share information.”
A Senate subcommittee will also take up the concerns at a hearing next week.
Shockingly, he said this about actual manufacturing processes:
Salehpour’s attorneys said the FAA was surprised to discover through his complaint that the gaps [in the pieces of the planes' bodies] were still an issue.
“I literally saw people jumping on the pieces of the airplane to get them to align,” Salehpour said. “By jumping up and down, you’re deforming parts so that the holes align temporarily … and that’s not how you build an airplane.”
Yikes..
-greenman
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