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The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has officially launched a new investigation into the Boeing 787 Dreamliner following allegations of misconduct among employees. These claims involve employees who reportedly failed to perform necessary tests but indicated that these tests were completed during the aircraft’s production phase.
In a recent disclosure, the FAA revealed that Boeing had voluntarily reported potential lapses in essential inspections as early as April. Specifically, the inspections in question were meant to confirm the adequate bonding and grounding at the junction where the wings attach to the fuselage on several 787 Dreamliner aircraft. The investigation also focuses on the possibility that Boeing employees might have falsified aircraft records. In response to these findings, Boeing is currently re-inspecting all 787 Dreamliners still within its production line.
According to the head of Boeing’s 787 program, employees at the South Carolina assembly site “had been violating Company policies by not performing a required test, but recording the work as having been completed.” To address these violations, Boeing is implementing significant corrective measures with the involved employees and has initiated comprehensive discussions across various teams to prevent future occurrences.
This inquiry comes shortly after a Senate subcommittee hearing where a whistleblower raised serious concerns about the 787 Dreamliner’s manufacturing integrity. Sam Salehpour, a quality engineer at Boeing, alleged that he faced harassment and threats from senior management after reporting that certain segments of the Dreamliner’s fuselage were not adequately joined, posing a potential safety hazard. Although Boeing CEO Dave Calhoun was invited to the hearing, he did not attend. Following these allegations, a spokesperson for Boeing reassured the public of the aircraft’s safety, citing extensive testing which showed no signs of airframe fatigue.
The latest FAA investigation adds to other challenges faced by Boeing following a door plug blowout on a 737 Max 9 aircraft in January. This incident has drawn further investigations by the FAA, the Justice Department, and legislative bodies, over concerns about the aerospace giant’s operational and safety protocols.
