A new whistleblower has come forward with alarming allegations against Boeing. Sam Mohawk, a current Boeing employee, claims that the company tried to hide faulty parts from regulators and lost track of them, according to a Senate subcommittee investigation revealed Tuesday.
Boeing allegedly attempted to conceal nonconforming parts from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) by moving them out of sight and falsifying records, Mohawk stated. He works in Boeing’s quality assurance unit in Renton, Washington. Mohawk further added that Boeing was unable to track many of these parts that were moved around and may have ended up being installed in some planes.
Boeing responded to the report from Congressional investigators, stating, “We are reviewing the claims.” The company emphasized its commitment to airplane safety and the flying public, encouraging employees to report any concerns.
Boeing CEO Dave Calhoun faced the new accusations, along with other whistleblower charges, at a congressional hearing on Tuesday. In his prepared testimony, Calhoun acknowledged issues with the company’s culture and safety failures, promising to take action and make progress.
In a statement released ahead of the hearing, Senator Richard Blumenthal accused Calhoun of prioritizing profits over safety at Boeing. The senator highlighted a culture that silences employees who raise safety concerns and called for repairs within the company.
The hearing, titled “Boeing’s broken safety culture,” is the latest in a series of congressional investigations into safety problems at Boeing. Calhoun, along with Boeing’s chief engineer, Howard McKenzie, testified at the hearing.
The hearing comes in the wake of a recent Alaska Air incident where a Boeing 737 Max flight experienced a serious safety issue. An investigation found that the plane left a Boeing factory without essential bolts, leading to a critical door plug blowout. Boeing’s handling of the incident has been widely criticized, with calls for increased accountability and transparency.
Despite the scrutiny and ongoing investigations, it remains to be seen whether the hearing will result in significant changes at Boeing. Industry experts, such as Richard Aboulafia, believe that more needs to be done to address systemic issues within the company.
As the hearing unfolds, family members of victims from the two fatal 737 Max crashes are expected to attend. With 346 lives lost in the 2018 and 2019 accidents, there is a renewed focus on holding Boeing accountable and ensuring the safety of its aircraft moving forward.
