1 of 2 | Sam Salephour, a Boeing engineer, will testify before the Senate next week after coming forward with allegations that the 787 Dreamliner's fuselage can break apart mid-air due to assembly line issues. File Photo by David Silpa/UPI |
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April 10 (UPI) -- The Senate will hold a hearing next week on safety concerns surrounding Boeing after a new whistleblower reported issues with one of the company's aircraft this week.
Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations Chair Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., and ranking member Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., said in a statement Tuesday that whistleblower Sam Salephour, a Boeing engineer, would testify in the April 17 hearing after he shared "troubling" allegations about the safety of the company's aircraft.
In a letter to Boeing CEO David Calhoun, Blumenthal and Johnson wrote that it had received information alleging "alarming and dangerous manufacturing deficiencies that 'are creating potentially catastrophic safety risks.'"
Salehpour, an engineer with Boeing for more than 10 years, listed several safety issues with the New York Times on Boeing's 787 Dreamliner, including a warning that parts of the aircraft's fuselage risk breaking apart mid-flight after thousands of trips because they have been fastened together improperly.
He said the issue arose from changes in how the sections were put together on the assembly line as the fuselage's many pieces each come from different manufacturers and are not uniform in shape where they are meant to be fastened.
"If left unchecked, this could result in catastrophic failure," Salehpour said during a press briefing on Tuesday.
Salehpour said, though, he was transferred to work on a different airplane after he raised concerns about the Dreamliner and does not know if Boeing ever addressed the issues in a significant way.
The FAA confirmed it was investigating Salehpour's claims.
Boeing confirmed the assembly line changes were made but pushed back against the broader allegations.
"These claims about the structural integrity of the 787 are inaccurate and do not represent the comprehensive work Boeing has done to ensure the quality and long-term safety of the aircraft," Boeing spokeswoman Jessica Kowal said, according to the New York Times. "We are fully confident in the 787 Dreamliner."
Another Boeing 787 Dreamliner whistleblower John Barnett died of an apparent suicide last month. Barnett had expressed quality control on the Dreamliner. Barnett, who retired in 2017 was found in a parking lot in South Carolina by authorities.
