Boeing Whistleblower: Harassed and Threatened for Raising Safety Concerns
A Boeing engineer named Sam Salehpour testified before US lawmakers about being harassed and threatened after raising safety concerns regarding the company's planes.
Salehpour described being berated in a lengthy phone call by his boss and having a tire punctured with a nail.
The incident occurred during a congressional investigation into safety issues at Boeing.
The company issued a statement acknowledging the need for improvement and taking action to enhance its safety culture.
A Boeing 737 Max 9 plane flown by Alaska Airlines experienced an in-flight emergency in January, causing a part of the body to break off after take-off.
Passengers were not seriously injured, but the incident resulted in thousands of flight cancellations and renewed criticism of Boeing, following deadly crashes in 2018 and 2019 that killed 346 people.
During a hearing, three whistleblowers testified against the company, including a former FAA safety official and a 17-year Boeing employee named Mr. Salehpour.
Mr. Salehpour claimed he had raised concerns about alleged manufacturing shortcuts since 2020, but was told to keep quiet.
A Boeing employee testified at a Senate hearing that they were ignored and threatened for raising safety concerns, leading to their transfer to a different role.
Senator Richard Blumenthal expressed concern over mounting allegations of a broken safety culture and unacceptable practices at Boeing, and announced an investigation into the matter.
The hearing prompted other whistleblowers to come forward with similar concerns.