Boeing on Monday — just two days before a whistleblower hearing about its myriad plane safety issues in the U.S. Senate — scrambled to squash concerns over the quality of its 787 Dreamliner jets, which have been under severe scrutiny in recent months.
The aerospace giant hosted a series of journalists across several media outlets at its factory in North Charleston, South Carolina this week, where the 787 Dreamliner plane is being assembled. Company engineers described how the Dreamliners are made on the assembly line and dismissed the whistleblower’s concerns.
The whistleblower, longtime company engineer Sam Salehpour, is set to appear at a Senate panel to discuss his claims that the Dreamliner — and Boeing’s 777 models — may have fuselage problems that could lead to mid-air safety incidents. Salehpour claims that the plane’s outer skin is improperly fastened to the plane and could eventually rip apart in the air, and has reportedly met with the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration.
His lawyer, Debra Katz, told NPR last week that Salehpour was threatened with physical violence and termination for raising concerns, although Boeing has denied the allegations and said that “retaliation is strictly prohibited.”
Boeing engineers walked reporters through the process of bringing together the sections of a fuselage, adding that fasteners attached to apply “pull-up” force keep gapping problems within Boeing’s specifications 99% of the time. And, even if the gaps exceeded Boeing’s specifications, the plane’s durability would not be affected, the engineers said. A gap problem was discovered in 2019 between two panels, but Boeing has since changed its design and assembly process to fix it.
Steve Chisholm, Boeing’s vice president of structural engineering, said Boeing had replicated 165,000 flights without finding signs of fatigue in the planes’ structure. The average 787 jet makes 600 flights annually.
“Not only did we interrogate those airframes — we were taking out fasteners, we were looking for damage, we’re also doing the approval inspections to understand the build condition, and we didn’t find any fatigue issues in the composite structure,” Chisholm said.
The whistleblower allegations come as Boeing is struggling to navigate the backlash after a door plug blew out mid-flight on an Alaska Airlines-operated 737 Max 9 plane. The incident has led to a Justice Department criminal probe, investigations from federal safety regulators, passenger lawsuits, and the resignation of CEO Dave Calhoun.
“As you all know, the Alaska Airlines Flight 1282 accident was a watershed moment for Boeing,” Calhoun wrote in a message to employees. “We must continue to respond to this accident with humility and complete transparency. We also must inculcate a total commitment to safety and quality at every level of our company.”
Monday’s press briefing came as Boeing stock hit its longest losing streak since 2018. Boeing stock has dropped more than a third this year; it’s the second-worst performing stock in the S&P 500 this year, behind insurance company Globe Life — which is being targeted by short-sellers and has dropped 54%.
Another whistleblower, John Barnett, was found dead of a self-inflicted gunshot wound before he was set to testify against Boeing’s manufacturing processes; people close to him have contested that it was a suicide, and his death is under investigation. There have been dozens of other internal whistleblowers, according to The American Prospect.