On Monday, Boeing strongly defended its 777 and 787 Dreamliner widebody programs, days after a whistleblower accused the planemaker of taking production shortcuts. causing potential structural defects for both aircraft types.
On Monday, Boeing held an extraordinary press conference from Dreamliner assembly plant in North Charleston, South Carolinawhich details the specifics of how to assemble the 787 from a number of disassembled manufactured and delivered parts, such as the fuselage, wings, and tail section, as well as the structural testing process that each department must go through.
In denying the allegations and descriptions given by the whistleblower, Boeing offered a sharp contrast to the conciliatory and concessionary tone it has struck this year through the ongoing 737 MAX crisis. took place, eventually led to the firing of the company’s CEO.
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The whistleblower, a Boeing engineer named Sam Salehpour, alleged last week that hundreds of 787 and 777 jets were at risk of structural failure due to fatigue damage. The allegations were details in the Seattle Times.
He also said that he was harassed by Boeing as a result.
Salehpour’s 787 allegations surround the small gaps between fuselage sections that remained after Boeing joined them together.
The spaces were first discovered in 2020, causing Boeing to pause long-haul jet deliveries for nearly two years. The Federal Aviation Administration investigated Boeing’s production program and approved the fix, and is now inspecting each 787 before approving delivery to airline customers.
However, Salehpour alleges that the problem was actually not fixed and that Boeing used excessive force to push the pieces together, making it appear that the gaps had disappeared instead of using extra pieces of material. small to fill them – a known fact. like “shimmer.”
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Fade is used to fill gaps larger than five thousandths of an inch, helping to prevent pieces from moving around during flight and being subjected to excessive force.
On the 777, Salehpour alleged that fuselage panels were delivered from a supplier that did not fit properly and said that factory workers jumped on fuselage pieces to jam them in place, likely causing them to deform. He claimed that he was transferred to the 777 program in retaliation after raising concerns about 787.
Boeing last week quickly refuted Salehpour’s claims by arguing that all of its 787s meet the specifications needed to be certified.
“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 said in a statement last week provided to TPG. “The issues raised have been subject to rigorous technical examination under the supervision of the FAA. This analysis has confirmed that these issues do not pose any safety concerns and that the aircraft will maintain its service life.” service life of several decades.”
On Monday, Boeing engineers outlined the manufacturing process in detail, including stress testing that they say proves everything on the 787 is within specified parameters. .
“Extensive design analysis and testing helped validate all the decisions we made,” said Steve Chisholm, vice president and functional chief engineer for mechanical and structural engineering at Boeing. .
Chisholm also said Boeing encourages employees to speak up about problems or concerns they observe and said such reporting is key to the company’s safety procedures.
“Listening to the voices of our employees is extremely important,” he said. “We believe this makes us stronger. And that’s what we’re really leveraging and emphasizing.”
Lisa Fahl, Boeing’s vice president of aircraft program engineering, said Monday that in addition to the ethics hotline, Boeing employees can use a system called “Speak Up” to report Report problems anonymously.
“You have full authority to monitor the FAA and that is the system by which we conduct and conduct investigations and assessments that must be done and documented to support anything that comes forward,” she said.
The FAA is investigating Salehpour’s claims, according to New York Times.
In response to questions from TPG, an FAA spokesperson said the agency continues to enforce regulatory remedies for the blurring issue, including issuing Airworthiness Directives (ADs). involves inspection and repair, along with inspection of all newly built aircraft before they are delivered. .
“Every aircraft flying is AD compliant. Boeing has completed or is implementing long-term corrective actions. The FAA continues to issue Certificates of Airworthiness for every Boeing 787 before they enter service .”
The FAA spokesperson also noted that Boeing is investigating all whistleblower reports.
“Voluntary reporting without fear of retaliation is an important element of aviation safety,” the spokesperson said. “We strongly encourage everyone in the aviation industry to share information.”
Background: Things to know about the Boeing 737 MAX 9 and the MAX series
The report is given in context growing crisis surrounding Boeing’s quality control in its 737 narrow-body program, stemming from the January 5 incident in which Alaska Airlines 737 MAX 9 fuselage panel broke in flight minutes after departure from Portland International Airport (PDX) in Oregon.
Boeing CEO Dave Calhoun said he would resign later this year, while commercial aircraft chief Stan Deal resigned last month.
