The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is looking into the Boeing 787 Dreamliner following allegations of employee misconduct related to crucial production tests.
In April, the company informed the FAA that certain 787 Dreamliner airplanes may not have undergone necessary inspections to ensure proper bonding and grounding at the wing-fuselage juncture.
The agency is also investigating possible falsification of aircraft records, and Boeing is reevaluating all 787 airplanes still in production.
In response to inquiries, a Boeing spokesperson provided an email dated April 29 from Scott Stocker, the head of the 787 program, to employees in South Carolina, where the Dreamliner is assembled.
“Following a prompt review, we discovered that some individuals were violating company policies by neglecting a required test, while falsely claiming to have completed the task,” Stocker wrote in the email.
Boeing is taking swift and serious action against multiple employees and holding meetings with various teams to prevent such incidents from recurring,
This news follows whistleblower testimony regarding deficiencies in the 787 manufacturing process before a Senate subcommittee last month. Sam Salehpour, a Boeing quality engineer, disclosed allegations of harassment and threats by higher-ups after raising concerns about improper fusion of the 787 Dreamliner’s fuselage, which he asserted could cause premature midair disintegration.
Although Boeing CEO Dave Calhoun was invited to testify alongside the whistleblower, he did not attend.
After the hearing, a Boeing spokesperson assured The Hill of the company's full confidence in the safety and durability of the 787 Dreamliner, citing extensive testing and maintenance checks of nearly 700 in-service airplanes without evidence of airframe fatigue.
The 787 Dreamliner situation adds to recent headlines involving a high-profile incident with one of the company’s 737 Max 9 planes in January. After an Alaskan Airlines flight took off on Jan. 5, a door plug blew off, sparking multiple investigations by the FAA, the Justice Department, and lawmakers.
