Boeing Disputes Whistleblower Claims On 787 Dreamliner And 777

The U.S. Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations will hold a hearing to examine new claims from a Boeing BA whistleblower published in the New York Times NYT . Sam Salehpour, a Boeing engineer, reported that design and manufacturing faults in the 787 Dreamliner and 777 fuselages could reduce the safe service life of these long-haul aircraft. Boeing disputes these claims.

Chairman Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) and Ranking Member Ron Johnson (R-WI) sent letters to Boeing CEO Dave Calhoun and Michael Whitaker, Administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration, requesting their participation in the hearing and extensive documents on the manufacturing and certification of these aircraft.

I contacted Boeing for more details on the company’s preparations for this hearing. Boeing confirmed cooperating with the Senate Subcommittee and shared technical details of the extensive testing conducted on its long-haul aircraft.

Senate Subcommittee Hearing Will Probe Boeing Safety Culture

The Senate Subcommittee called the hearing after receiving reports directly from the Boeing whistleblower’s attorneys that allege “alarming and dangerous manufacturing deficiencies that ‘are creating potentially catastrophic safety risks.’” Senators Blumenthal and Johnson wrote directly to Boeing’s CEO David Calhoun, detailing the scope of their inquiries and requesting extensive documents.

According to the letter, the hearing will delve into the whistleblower’s allegations and “Boeing’s culture of safety in light of recent incidents.”

The Subcommittee has also requested testimony from Calhoun. However, Boeing has yet to confirm whether the company’s CEO, who announced his resignation by the end of the year amidst the current crisis, will attend.

In a statement, the aircraft manufacturer told me, “Boeing understands the important oversight responsibilities of the Subcommittee, and we are cooperating with this inquiry. We have offered to provide documents, testimony, and technical briefings and are in discussions with the Subcommittee regarding the next steps.”

Whistleblower Claims Boeing Dismissed Safety And Quality Control Concerns

Sam Salehpour, a Boeing engineer for over four decades, claims the company repeatedly dismissed his concerns over quality control and safety for the 787 and 777 aircraft.

His attorneys Debra Katz and Lisa Banks of Katz Banks Cumin said in a statement issued after the publication of the New York Times report, “Rather than heeding his warnings, Boeing prioritized getting the planes to market as quickly as possible, despite the known, well-substantiated issues Mr. Salehpour raised. The engineering problems identified directly affect the structural integrity of Boeing’s 787 and 777 planes and, unless corrected, will impact the entire aviation industry and all who fly.”

Salehpour claims to have observed shortcuts at Boeing intended to reduce bottlenecks during the 787 assembly process. These shortcuts, his attorneys said, “placed excessive stress on major airplane joints and embedded drilling debris between key joints on more than 1,000 planes.” Salehpour’s concern is that these manufacturing faults could reduce the plane’s safe lifespan and could be difficult for inspectors to identify for repairs. Salehpour claims Boeing responded to his complaints by involuntarily transferring him from the 787 program to the 777 program.

After his transfer, Salehpour noted other safety concerns regarding the Fuselage Automated Upright Build and Determinant Assembly processes for the 777. These resulted in a misalignment that, his attorneys say, could affect at least 400 777 series airplanes. Further, Salehpour claims Boeing pressured Liaison Engineers to continue production despite unexamined defects. His attorneys stated this is characteristic of Boeing’s “schedule over safety” culture.

Salehpour also alleges retaliation from his direct supervisor and Boeing senior management, including threats of termination and exclusion from critical meetings, projects, and communication. Salehpour says the company denied his requests for medical leave and generally made him feel unwelcome.

The whistleblower’s attorneys argue this is part of a broader pattern of how Boeing manages employees who raise safety and quality concerns. “Endemic at Boeing is a culture where whistleblowers are retaliated against and sidelined when they object to planes being brought to market that do not meet appropriate engineering standards,” they said.

Boeing Denies Retaliation Against Whistleblowers

In response to my questions, Boeing denied Salehpour’s claims about the 787 Dreamliner and his allegations of retaliation. “We continue to monitor these issues under established regulatory protocols and encourage all employees to speak up when issues arise. Retaliation is strictly prohibited at Boeing,” the company stated.

Regarding Salehpour’s claims of faults in the 777’s manufacturing, Boeing stated, “We are fully confident in the safety and durability of the 777 family. These claims are inaccurate.”

Boeing Is Confident Of Boeing 787 Dreamliner Structural Integrity

In its response to my request for information on the whistleblower’s claims regarding the shortened service life of the Boeing 787 Dreamliner, the company told me, “We are fully confident in the 787 Dreamliner because of the comprehensive work done to ensure the quality and long-term safety of the aircraft. These claims about the structural integrity of the 787 are inaccurate.”

Boeing added, “Analysis has validated that the aircraft will maintain its durability and service life over several decades, and these issues do not present any safety concerns.”

Boeing offered details on the engineering examination of the Dreamliner plane conducted under FAA oversight. By design, the company says the 787 Dreamliner should operate safely for over 30 years, potentially extending up to 50 years, depending on the operator and maintenance plan.

The aircraft is certified for a lifespan of up to 44,000 flight cycles. It has also undergone extensive fatigue testing without any issues detected, even when tested for nearly four times its designed lifespan.

Boeing 787 conducts fatigue testing

“In service, a 787 currently flies about 600 flight cycles per year on average and will operate safely for many decades before retirement. The highest-cycle 787 in service today is a 787-8 with about 16,500 flight cycles since it was delivered in late 2012,” Boeing stated.

Boeing also highlighted continuous improvements in production processes to enhance quality without compromising durability or safety.

“Our team’s work has included exhaustive testing and analysis to ensure that manufacturing process updates maintain the performance, full projected lifespan and strength of the airplane,” Boeing stated. “There are thousands of different join-up points across the airplane. We have detailed design specifications that define allowable gap and fit up force at any given join. This can vary from join to join and location to location. The comprehensive approach used to evaluate improvements to our production process includes and encourages dissenting viewpoints. This work has been completed with full transparency and under the oversight of the FAA.”

Boeing 787 Deliveries Halted To Address Conformance Issues

In 2021 and 2022, Boeing adjusted its production and halted 787 deliveries to address conformance issues, ensuring all aircraft met rigorous engineering specifications. The company integrated join inspection and verification into the production system.

“We slowed production and stopped delivering 787s for nearly two years to take our time to get things right and ensure each met our exacting engineering specifications,” Boeing stated. “For the in-service fleet, comprehensive Boeing and FAA analysis determined there is no near-term safety of flight concern, and our engineers are completing exhaustive analysis to determine any long-term inspection and maintenance required, with oversight from the FAA.”

Boeing added: “The FAA determined in 2022 that Boeing had a full scope of join verification work that must be done to inspect and rework these inventory airplanes – about 120 airplanes total. Many of these airplanes have already been reworked and delivered. Boeing 787s in production today, and those delivered after August 2022, are built to meet the updated specifications that were established based on years of data, validation, testing and analysis and acceptance by the FAA.”

Boeing also pointed to the FAA’s role in managing the in-service 787 Dreamliner fleet.

“As part of the process of understanding the best path forward for airplanes delivered prior to 2021 – about 980 airplanes – Boeing conducted a thorough and conservative assessment of capability and durability that showed the fleet was safe to continue operating while work continues to define the long-term plan. The assessment methodology and results were shared with the FAA,” Boeing stated.

Boeing 787 Dreamliner Type Certification Was “Most Exhaustive and Rigorous”

Boeing highlighted that the FAA had complete oversight of the process for the original certification of the 787 Dreamliner aircraft, the fatigue testing, and manufacturing.

After an eight-year certification process, prolonged by the introduction of many new technologies, systems, and materials, Boeing first obtained FAA type certification for the 787 Dreamliner in August 2011. The company described the process as “the most exhaustive and rigorous certification effort ever undertaken at Boeing.”

“The design of the 787 incorporates nearly a century of aviation learning and safety improvements,” Boeing stated. “The FAA reported that its staff logged 200,000 hours of technical work on the 787 type certification. Boeing employees exceeded that mark while showing compliance with more than 1,500 airworthiness regulations and presenting 4,000 documents comprising test plans, flight test reports and safety analyses. Boeing employees also demonstrated compliance with over 16,000 federal requirements relating to inspection, test parts and setup.”

FAA Boeing Oversight Review At Subcommittee Hearing

Senators Blumenthal and Johnson sent a separate letter to the FAA’s Administrator, Michael Whitaker, requesting extensive records of the FAA’s oversight of the Boeing 787 and 777 program related to the whistleblower’s disclosures.

The whistleblower’s attorneys sent two letters to the FAA supplying records to support his claims. The FAA did not respond to the first letter sent on January 19. However, on February 1, the FAA’s Office of Audit and Evaluation responded to the second letter informing the attorneys that they had opened an investigation.

I also contacted the FAA to comment on their preparation and participation in the hearing, but I did not hear back when this report was written.

However, an FAA Spokesperson answered my earlier question on the whistleblower’s claims, saying: “Voluntary reporting without fear of reprisal is a critical component in aviation safety. We strongly encourage everyone in the aviation industry to share information. We thoroughly investigate all reports.”