Boeing CEO apologizes to families of crash victims at Senate hearing

Outgoing Boeing CEO Dave Calhoun apologized directly to family members who lost loved ones in Boeing crashes during his opening testimony Tuesday before a Senate subcommittee.

“I would like to speak directly to those who lost loved ones on Lion Air Flight 610 and Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302,” Calhoun said, referring to the fatal crashes of Boeing 737 Max 8 planes in 2018 and 2019, respectively.

“I want to apologize personally, on behalf of everyone at Boeing. We are deeply sorry for your losses. Nothing is more important than the safety of the people who board our planes. Every day, we seek to honor the memory of those lost through a constant commitment to safety and quality,” continued Calhoun.

The planemaker’s executive is testifying before the Senate Permanent Investigations Subcommittee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs, his first congressional testimony since the door plug on a Boeing 737 Max 9 exploded during an Alaska Airlines flight in January.

The accident shined a spotlight about the plane maker and what Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), who chairs the subcommittee, described as a “broken” safety culture.

Several whistleblowers alleged that their efforts to raise production and quality concerns provoked retaliation from the company, including new allegations released by the subcommittee on Tuesday morning.

The Department of Justice has launched a criminal investigation into Boeing related to the company’s inability to locate records of work performed on the dashboard requested by the National Transportation Safety Board.

The Federal Aviation Administration is also investigating Boeing. The planemaker handed over its quality and safety improvement plan to the regulator, which was also accused of lax oversight of the company, last month.

This story originally appeared on thehill.com read the full story