Fresh flightmare for Boeing as whistleblower prepares to testify in Congress ... trends now
A Boeing engineer-turned-whistleblower will testify before Congress later today, as the beleaguered company is examined over allegations of major safety failures.
The first session will feature members of an expert panel that found serious flaws in Boeing's safety culture.
The main event will be a second hearing featuring Sam Salehpour who claims that sections of the 787 Dreamliner jets are not properly secured.
Salehpour's lawyer says Boeing has ignored his concerns and prevented him from talking to experts about fixing the problems.
On Tuesday night, Salehpour told NBC News that the jets should be grounded on account of 'fatal flaws' that could cause the plane to fall apart mid air.
The main event will be a second hearing featuring Sam Salehpour who claims that sections of the 787 Dreamliner jets are not properly secured
On Tuesday night, Salehpour told NBC News that the Dreamliner, seen here, should be grounded on account of 'fatal flaws' that could cause the plane to fall apart mid air
Speaking about the Dreamliner, Salehpour told the outlet: 'The entire fleet worldwide, as far as I'm concerned right now, needs attention.
'And the attention is, you need to check your gaps and make sure that you don't have potential for premature failure.'
When asked by the outlet if he would put his own family on a 787, he replied: 'Right now, I would not.'
His attorneys said that Salehpour faced retaliation, such as threats and exclusion from meetings, after he identified engineering problems.
They also claim that Boeing employed shortcuts to reduce bottlenecks during 787 assembly.
Another Boeing whistleblower - Ed Pierson, a former manager on the Boeing 737 program - and two other aviation technical experts are also on the witness list.
The Democrat who chairs the panel and its senior Republican have asked Boeing for troves of documents going back six years.
The lawmakers are seeking all records about manufacturing of Boeing 787 and 777 planes.
This will include any safety concerns or complaints raised by Boeing employees, contractors or airlines.
Boeing 787 Dreamliner are seen here under production at the Boeing manufacturing facility in North Charleston, South Carolina, on December 13, 2022
The company has been pushed into crisis mode since a door-plug panel blew off a 737 Max jetliners during an Alaska Airlines flight in January, seen here
His attorneys said that Salehpour faced retaliation, such as threats and exclusion from meetings, after he identified engineering problems
Some of the questions seek information about Salehpour's allegations about poorly fitted carbon-composite panels on the Dreamliner.
A Boeing spokesperson said the company is cooperating with the lawmakers' inquiry and offered to provide documents and briefings.
The company says claims about the 787's structural integrity are false. Two Boeing engineering execs said this week that in both design testing and inspections of planes - some of them 12 years old - there have been no findings of fatigue or cracking in the composite panels.
They suggested that the material, formed from carbon fibers and resin, is nearly impervious to fatigue that is a constant worry with aluminum fuselages.
The Boeing officials also dismissed another of Salehpour's allegations: that he saw factory workers jumping on sections of fuselage on 777s to make them align.
Salehpour is the latest whistleblower to emerge with allegations about manufacturing problems at Boeing.
In March, whistleblower John Barnett was found dead in his truck in South Carolina while going throwing a whistleblowing suit against his former
