For two hours on Tuesday, embattled Boeing CEO Dave Calhoun tried to persuade the largely skeptical senators that the ailing aircraft manufacturer has been committed to safety since two fatal plane crashes six years ago.
Both Democratic and Republican lawmakers questioned Calhoun at a Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations hearing a couple of series of in-flight accidents which have plagued the airline this yr – the most recent safety lapses since two crashes in 2018 and 2019 that killed nearly 350 people.
Calhoun, testifying for the primary and possibly last time, denied widespread allegations that Boeing retaliates against employees who raise safety concerns.
“I often cite and reward people who raise issues, even when they have huge consequences for our company and our production,” he said. “We work hard to reach out to our people.”
The hearing was prompted by an incident on an Alaska Airlines flight in January wherein a portion of the fuselage of a Boeing 737 Max 9 was ripped from the plane’s fuselage mid-flight. Calhoun told lawmakers that immediately after the Alaska Airlines flight, Boeing held company-wide feedback sessions with employees on ways to enhance safety and that the aircraft manufacturer made significant changes to its incentive structure last yr.
“I’m trying to process 30,000 ideas about how we can move forward,” he said.
That’s not what current and former staffers have alleged. Democratic Sen. Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut, the chairman of the hearing, told Calhoun that a dozen whistleblowers had reported to the subcommittee a spread of retaliation, including transfers, exclusion from key meetings, verbal attacks and even physical threats.
Boeing executive and whistleblower John Barnett, who died by apparent suicide in March, received 21 calls from his supervisor in in the future and 19 on one other after Barnett raised concerns about missing parts. According to Blumenthal, when Barnett confronted him in regards to the calls, the supervisor said he would “push him to the point of collapse.”
“I have listened to the whistleblowers who have appeared at your hearing,” Calhoun told Blumenthal. “Something went wrong, and I believe in the sincerity of their comments.”
Following the Alaska Airlines disaster, a wave of whistleblowers fueled the investigation into Boeing. Before the hearing, the subcommittee released testimony from quality inspector Sam Mohawk, who claimed that Boeing had lost as much as 400 parts from the 737 Max aircraft.
One of the important thing questions the subcommittee addressed was whether Boeing had actually made significant changes to its quality and safety controls over the past five years.
In 2021, the corporate reached a settlement with the Justice Department after two plane crashes in 2018 and 2019 killed 346 people. Boeing paid a $243.6 million effective to avoid charges of misleading regulators a couple of flight system. The Justice Department now claims Boeing did not make agreed-upon changes to forestall similar incidents in the long run.
“I think you’ve certainly shown that you can talk about these changes, but to actually implement them may require a different team,” Blumenthal said.
Josh Hawley, Republican Senator from Missouri, accused Calhoun of “exploiting” the corporate, saying the CEO had consciously chosen to maximise profits and stock price on the expense of safety.
“Several whistleblowers have come before this committee and alleged that Boeing cuts corners on quality and safety at every turn,” Hawley said. “Not just in the past, but now as well.”
Hawley even asked Calhoun why he had not resigned yet, however the CEO defended his record on the helm of Boeing.
“I’m proud to have taken the job,” Calhoun replied. “I’m proud of our safety record. I’m proud of every action we’ve taken.”
