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Boeing has been in the news constantly since the incident with Alaska Airlines flight AS1282 where it was forced to return shortly after takeoff when part of its fuselage (a plugged emergency exit) separated. This led to the FAA grounding all Boeing 737 MAX 9 aircraft. That grounding was lifted, but the CEO and several other execs are leaving the company and a whistleblower that alleged that there were safety concerns was found dead in an apparent suicide. Now, a second whistleblower has come forward and he alleges that Boeing is taking shortcuts when building the 787 and 777 jets.
The BBC reports that engineer, Sam Salehpour, was “threatened with termination” after raising concerns with management over issues around the assembly of some aircraft. His claim is that issues that were not addressed during assembly could compromise the structural integrity and/or lifespan of some Boeing 777 and 787 aircraft. Attorneys for Salehpour said that during assembly of the 787 that decisions were made which placed stress on joints that linked up parts of the body of the planes (this could impact up to 1,000 aircraft). He further asserts that workers failed to properly fill gaps between fuselage parts and that he literally saw people jumping on parts to get them to fit.
This is not the first time that there has been an issue with the 787. The aircraft type began flying in 2011, but production was halted for almost two years in 2020 and the FAA did not clear Boeing to resume deliveries until 2022.
After raising concerns around the 787, Boeing transferred Salehpour to work on the 777. He found issues there as well and his attorneys said:
He was threatened with termination, excluded from important meetings, projects, and communication, denied reasonable requests for medical leave, assigned work outside of his expertise, and effectively declared persona non grata to his colleagues.”
The FAA is encouraging people with inside knowledge to share information as it continues its investigation.
Anthony’s Take: The plot thickens with Boeing. It will be interesting to see how all of this plays out and if the alleged issues prove to be real problems.
(Image Credits: Boeing and British Airways.)
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1 comment
I think this guy is going to have a sudden case of uncontrollable severe depression.