A Senate subcommittee has summoned outgoing Boeing CEO David Calhoun to testify on the safety of the company’s jetliners following alarming whistleblower claims about the 787 Dreamliner and 777 models. The subpoena coincides with an investigation launched by the Federal Aviation Administration, probing allegations that Boeing has compromised its manufacturing standards and retaliated against employees who voice their concerns.
The Congressional panel will begin by hearing testimony from whistleblower Sam Salehpour, a Boeing engineer with more than a decade at the company, next week. According to Salehpour’s reports, Boeing has been outsourcing the manufacturing of its 787 Dreamliners to a number of different companies, affecting how the parts of the fuselage fasten together upon assembly at the Boeing facilities.
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Via his attorneys, Salehpour claims that the company refused to listen to his repeat warnings, placing profit over public safety. “Rather than heeding his warnings, Boeing prioritized getting the planes to market as quickly as possible, despite the known, well-substantiated issues he raised,” attorneys Debra Katz and Lisa Banks said on Tuesday.
Salehpour further claims that once he approached his supervisors with his concerns, he was transferred to a different jetliner project—a move he considered retaliatory in nature. On this second assignment, tasked with working on 777 jets, he found additional safety issues, for which he claims to have been threatened with termination.
In a letter subpoenaing Calhoun to testify, the Senate subcommittee expressed concern that the problems highlighted by the whistleblower could create “potentially catastrophic safety risks.”
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The 787 Dreamliner and 777 models, both critical components of Boeing’s commercial aircraft portfolio, have been under public and federal scrutiny since a midair door plug blowout on an Alaska Airlines flight late last year. This led to the grounding of the entire 737 MAX 9 fleet, and further inspection found issues with other jet models as well.
Separately, suspicion of the company has spread after 62-year-old whistleblower John Barnett, who was in the midst of testifying against Boeing in South Carolina, was found dead of a “self-inflicted” gunshot wound.
After receiving the subpoena, Boeing did not confirm whether Calhoun will appear before Congress for the April 17th hearing. However, the company told the Associated Press that it has “offered to provide documents, testimony, and technical briefings” in cooperation with the probe. Calhoun announced his resignation from the company last month.
Connor Walcott is a staff writer for Valuetainment.com. Follow Connor on X and look for him on VT’s “The Unusual Suspects.”
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