Contested Boeing For two hours on Tuesday, CEO Dave Calhoun tried to convince the largely skeptical senators that the troubled aircraft manufacturer has been committed to safety since two fatal plane crashes six years ago.
Democratic and Republican lawmakers alike questioned Calhoun at a hearing of the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations on a Series of in-flight mishaps that have plagued the company this year– the latest safety failures since two accidents in 2018 and 2019 that killed nearly 350 people.
Calhoun, testifying for the first and possibly last time, denied the 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 when Part of the fuselage of a Boeing 737 Max 9 was torn off the fuselage of the aircraft in mid-flightCalhoun told lawmakers that Boeing held companywide feedback sessions with employees on ways to improve safety immediately after the Alaska Airlines flight and that the plane maker has made significant changes to its incentive structure over the past year.
“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 range of retaliation, including transfers, exclusion from key meetings, verbal attacks and even physical threats.
Boeing manager and whistleblower John Barnett, who died in March by an apparent suicidereceived 21 calls from his supervisor in a single day and 19 on another day after Barnett raised concerns about missing parts. According to Blumenthal, when Barnett confronted him about 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.”
After the Alaska Airlines disaster A wave of whistleblowers has fueled the investigation into Boeing. Before the hearing, the subcommittee published the allegations of a quality inspector, Sam Mohawk, who claimed that Boeing has lost track of up to 400 aircraft parts of the 737 Max.
One of the key 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 company reached a settlement with the Department of Justice after two plane crashes in 2018 and 2019 killed 346 people. Boeing paid a $243.6 million fine to avoid charges of misleading regulators about a flight system. The Justice Department now alleges that Boeing failed to make agreed-upon changes to prevent similar incidents in the future.
“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 company, saying the CEO had consciously chosen to maximize profits and stock price at 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, but the CEO defended his record at 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.”