Boeing whistleblower says 787 fleet should be grounded

Boeing engineer Sam Salehpour said in an interview Tuesday that he thinks all 787 jets should be grounded to allow for adequate safety checks of the plane, which has come under fire in recent months after a series of incidents.

The new interview — which will air in full Tuesday on “NBC Nightly News with Lester Holt” — comes one day before Salehpour’s scheduled testimony before Congress about safety concerns at Boeing that he laid out in a complaint filed to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). ) earlier this year.

“The entire global fleet, as far as I’m concerned right now, needs attention,” Salehpour said in a preview interview with NBC News released Tuesday, when asked specifically about the 787 plane model.

“And the caution is that you need to check your gaps and make sure there is no potential for premature failure,” he added.

In a letter addressed to FAA Administrator Michael Whitaker in January, Salehpour’s lawyers said the Boeing engineer “has repeatedly reported to Boeing management serious concerns about Boeing’s current production and quality control processes, which he believes are creating risks of potentially catastrophic safety issues.”

The letter described problems with the production of the company’s 787 and 777 jets, specifically saying that sections of the 787 Dreamliner’s fuselage are improperly secured and could break after thousands of trips. Salehpour told the agency that these problems were the result of changes in the fit and fastening of sections on the assembly line and claimed that the concerns were ignored.

“I introduced myself and stuck my neck out,” Salehpour said in the interview. “But you know, I’m at peace with myself. Because this will save many people’s lives.”

A Boeing spokesperson rejected Salehpour’s claims, telling The Hill that Salehpour’s claims about the 787 were “inaccurate” and not representative of the “comprehensive work” Boeing does to ensure the aircraft’s safety.

“We are completely confident in the 787 Dreamliner,” a Boeing spokesperson said in a statement. “The issues raised were subject to rigorous engineering examinations under the supervision of the FAA. This analysis validated that these issues do not present any safety concerns and that the aircraft will maintain its useful life for several decades.”

The spokesperson also said that while there have been changes to the 787 manufacturing process over the years, they were not the cause of the problems alleged by Salehpour.

The Senate Commerce Committee on Wednesday will hear testimony from Salehpour and three aviation experts, some of whom were involved in a February report that criticized Boeing’s safety culture as “inadequate and confusing.”

The report outlined 50 recommendations to Boeing and said the manufacturer should review and come up with a plan to resolve the issues within half a year. Experts said the plan should be shared with the FAA, which published the report.

Updated at 5:21 p.m.