by Ed Kozak, The National Pulse:
The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is examining a whistleblower’s allegations that Boeing overlooked safety and quality concerns in the manufacturing of its 787 and 777 jets. Last year, Boeing disclosed that some 787 airplanes had irregularly sized shims and certain aircraft had areas that failed to meet skin-flatness specifications.
Engineer Sam Salehpour, the whistleblower, claimed he faced retaliation — in the form of threats and exclusion from meetings — for spotting engineering issues affecting the jets’ structural integrity. Salehpour’s lawyers stated he recognized engineering shortcuts that placed stress on airplane joints, resulting in drilling debris between essential joints on over 1,000 planes.
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Salehpour also told reporters that he observed serious issues with misalignment in the production of the 777 widebody jet. “I literally saw people jumping on the pieces of the airplane to get them to align,” he said.
An FAA agency source confirmed it has interacted with Salehpour. The agency also affirmed the importance of whistleblowers in maintaining safety standards. “Voluntary reporting without fear of reprisal is a critical component in aviation safety,” it said. “We strongly encourage everyone in the aviation industry to share information. We thoroughly investigate all reports.”
Boeing continues to face scrutiny from the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) investigating potential infringements of a 2021 agreement protecting the company from prosecution following fatal MAX crashes in 2018 and 2019.
A recent FAA audit of Boeing’s manufacturing processes found nearly 100 instances of noncompliance. Another Boeing whistleblower, John Barnett, was found dead in March, with authorities ruling his death a suicide. However, shortly before his death, Barnett warned a friend that “if anything happens to me, it’s not suicide.”
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