Boeing’s CEO, Dave Calhoun, has announced that he will be stepping down from his position at the end of the year. This comes in light of safety concerns surrounding the company’s aircraft models, including allegations that Boeing ignored safety problems in the production of its 787 and 777 aircraft types. According to Sam Salehpour, a Boeing engineer, parts of the fuselage of the 787 Dreamliner are improperly attached and could break apart during flights as the plane ages. Salehpour’s findings have been shared with aviation authorities, which are investigating the claims.
Salehpour’s lawyers stated that Boeing took shortcuts in the assembly process to reduce production bottlenecks, resulting in quality issues in over a thousand planes. However, Boeing insists that there are no safety problems with its 787 Dreamliner. Salehpour had raised safety concerns with his superiors but was transferred to work on the production of 777 planes when they were not addressed.
After noticing issues with the assembly of 777s, Salehpour reported seeing people jumping on parts of the plane to align them. The US Civil Aviation Authority has met with Salehpour regarding his safety concerns. In addition to these concerns, Boeing has faced challenges with other aircraft models such as a recent incident where a wall of an Alaska Airlines’ Boeing 737 Max plane came off mid-flight, prompting a criminal investigation by the US Department of Justice.
The FAA has opened an investigation into these allegations and is currently reviewing evidence presented by Salehpour and his lawyers. It is unclear what action will be taken against Boeing at this time but it is clear that their reputation is taking a hit due to these safety concerns.
