U.S. legislators are set to question Boeing’s CEO on Tuesday about the company’s newest plan to address manufacturing issues, and relatives of those killed in two Boeing 737 Max airliner tragedies will be in the room to watch.
CEO David Calhoun is slated to testify before the Senate investigations subcommittee, chaired by Boeing critic Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn.
Hours before Calhoun was scheduled to appear, the Senate panel issued a 204-page report including additional allegations from a whistleblower who is concerned that “nonconforming” parts — those that may be defective or not properly recorded — are being installed in 737 Max jets.
Boeing CEO Is Appearing Before A Senate Panel As A New Whistleblower Emerges
Sam Mohawk, a quality assurance investigator at Boeing’s 737 assembly factory outside Seattle, claims the corporation concealed proof of the condition after the Federal Aviation Administration told it a year ago that it would inspect the facility.
“Once Boeing received such a notice, it ordered the majority of the (nonconfirming) parts that were being stored outside to be moved to another location to intentionally hide improperly stored parts from the FAA,” Mohawk stated in the study. “Approximately 80% of the parts were moved to avoid the watchful eyes of the FAA inspectors.”
Mohawk stated the parts were later returned or lost. They included rudders, wing flaps, and tail fins, all necessary for plane control.
The panel stated that records and whistleblower statements “paint a troubling picture of a company that prioritises manufacturing speed and cost savings over ensuring aircraft quality and safety.”
The hearing will be Calhoun’s first appearance before Congress or any other high-ranking Boeing official since a panel blew out a 737 Max during an Alaska Airlines flight in January. The event did not result in significant injuries but aroused new concerns about the company’s best-selling commercial aircraft.
The National Transportation Safety Board and the Federal Aviation Administration conduct separate investigations.
“From the start, we accepted responsibility and worked transparently with the NTSB and the FAA,” Calhoun stated in prepared statements for the hearing. He defended the company’s safety culture.
“Our culture is far from perfect, but we are taking action and making progress,” Calhoun said during his prepared remarks. “We are taking comprehensive action today to strengthen safety and quality.”
Blumenthal heard this previously when Boeing dealt with fatal Max crashes in Indonesia in 2018 and Ethiopia in 2019.
“Boeing pledged to change its safety processes and culture five years ago. “That promise proved empty, and the American people deserve an explanation,” Blumenthal stated while announcing the hearing. He described Calhoun’s statement as a critical step for Boeing to regain public trust.
Boeing CEO Is Appearing Before A Senate Panel As A New Whistleblower Emerges
Calhoun’s presence was also scheduled as the Justice Department considered whether to charge Boeing for violating the settlement terms reached following the tragic crashes.
The firm says it received the message. Boeing says it has reduced production, encouraged employees to raise safety issues, shut down assembly lines daily to allow workers to discuss safety, and appointed a former Navy admiral to conduct a quality review. Late last month, it delivered an improvement plan requested by the FAA.
The barrage of bad news for Boeing continues, however.
Last week, the FAA announced an investigation into how falsely documented titanium parts entered Boeing’s supply chain, and federal inspectors investigated “substantial” damage to a Southwest Airlines 737 Max following an unexpected mid-flight control issue.
Boeing said that it hasn’t received a single request for a new Max—its previous best-selling airliner—in two months.
Blumenthal first requested Calhoun’s appearance before the Senate subcommittee when a Boeing quality engineer whistleblower claimed that production flaws were posing safety hazards on two of Boeing’s largest jets, the 787 Dreamliner and the 777. He stated that the corporation needed to explain why the public should believe in Boeing’s work.
Boeing denied the whistleblower’s assertions, claiming that comprehensive testing and inspections revealed none of the issues the engineer had foreseen.
Boeing CEO Is Appearing Before A Senate Panel As A New Whistleblower Emerges
Calhoun announced in late March that he would retire at the end of the year. The leader of the company’s commercial aeroplanes segment quit on the same day.
Families of those killed in the Boeing Max disaster in Ethiopia intend to attend Tuesday’s hearing on Capitol Hill. They have frequently asked the Justice Department to pursue Boeing.
Zipporah Kuria, whose father was killed in the collision, stated, “We will not rest until justice is served.” She urged the US government to “hold Boeing and its corporate executives criminally responsible for the deaths of 346 people.”
Last month, the Justice Department found that Boeing breached a 2021 settlement that protected the firm from fraud charges for allegedly deceiving regulators who approved the 737 Max. According to a senior department official, Boeing failed to implement steps to detect and prevent future infractions of anti-fraud rules.
Prosecutors have until July 7 to decide what they will do next.
SOURCE – (AP)
