Boeing has stated that it has identified zero fatigue cracks in its in-service 787 Dreamliner jets that have undergone extensive maintenance, as the aerospace giant continues to defend its twin-aisle aircraft program ahead of a critical U.S. Senate hearing scheduled for Wednesday.
This reassurance comes in the wake of last week's allegations made by a Boeing whistleblower, Sam Salehpour, a quality engineer who claims the company ignored safety concerns during the assembly of its 787 and 777 jets operating on international routes.
Salehpour has accused Boeing of failing to adequately shim, or use thin material to fill minute gaps in the manufactured planes. He warns that this omission could lead to premature fatigue failure in certain areas of the Dreamliner over time.
These serious claims are currently under investigation by the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), with Salehpour set to testify at the upcoming Senate hearing about the company's safety culture. In his allegations, Salehpour mentioned observing workers \"jumping on the pieces of the airplane to get them to align,\" a practice he argues compromises the structural integrity of the aircraft.
Boeing has been grappling with a significant safety crisis that has tarnished its reputation, following a mid-air panel blowout incident on a 737 MAX single-aisle plane that occurred on January 5.
In a press call on Monday, two senior Boeing officials asserted that among the nearly 700 in-service Dreamliner jets that underwent thorough maintenance inspections after six and twelve years, there have been no findings of airframe fatigue.
\"All these results have been shared with the FAA,\" stated Steve Chisholm, Boeing's chief engineer for mechanical and structural engineering.
The 787 widebody jet faced a delivery halt for more than a year until August 2022 while the FAA investigated quality issues and manufacturing flaws. In 2021, Boeing acknowledged that some 787s had incorrect shim sizes and areas that did not meet specified skin-flatness criteria.
Lisa Fahl, vice president of Boeing Commercial Airplanes' airplane programs engineering, emphasized that reports of workers jumping on plane parts were \"not part of our process.\"
Responding to the allegations, Salehpour's attorney, Debra Katz, stated that her client had sought years to access data addressing his safety concerns about the 787's structural gaps.
\"Any data provided by Boeing should be validated by independent experts and the FAA before it is taken at face value,\" Katz asserted in a statement.
Reference(s):
cgtn.com
