Boeing CEO Dave Calhoun Grilled by US Lawmakers in Senate Hearing
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19 June 2024 20:40 WIB
Apology to Families of 737 Max Crashes
Boeing also took responsibility for the development of a key software system linked to fatal crashes in Indonesia and Ethiopia in 2018 and 2019, which killed a total of 346 people.
At the start of the hearing, Calhoun addressed the families of the crash victims. "I apologize for the grief we have caused," he said, adding that the company is fully committed to addressing safety concerns, and calling the families' losses "gut-wrenching."
Boeing's chief engineer, Howard McKenzie, had downplayed safety concerns about hundreds of improperly tightened fasteners on some of the planemaker's 787 wide-body jets. The discovery of the fasteners was first reported by Reuters last week.
New Whistleblower
Blumenthal said a new whistleblower has come forward after a hearing with a previous whistleblower in April. The senator said that Sam Mohawk, a current Boeing quality assurance investigator at the 737 factory in Renton, Washington, recently said that he had witnessed systemic disregard for parts that were potentially defective or lacked required documentation.
In a report released by the committee ahead of the hearing, Mohawk said his work handling nonconforming parts became significantly more "complex and demanding" after MAX production resumed in 2020 following two fatal crashes involving the model.
According to the report, Mohawk filed a related claim with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration in June.
Regulators and airlines have stepped up scrutiny of Boeing since a door plug on a 737 MAX 9 jet blew out in midair in January. The National Transportation Safety Board said four key bolts were missing from the Alaska Airlines plane. The Justice Department opened a criminal investigation into the incident.
On May 30, Boeing submitted a quality improvement plan to the FAA after Whitaker gave the company 90 days to develop a comprehensive effort to address "systemic quality control issues." He has barred the company from expanding production of the 737 MAX.
REUTERS
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