On Wednesday, a Senate subcommittee led by U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) will hold a hearing on safety problems at aircraft-maker Boeing.
“The allegation that parts of the fuselage may have been fastened improperly, and that they could break apart with fatigue, is deeply serious, and ought to be immediately scrutinized by Boeing, the FAA, and possibly by an independent authority,” Blumenthal told reporters in a press conference in Hartford on Friday.
The hearing comes after a Boeing engineer recently alleged problems with the manufacturing of 787 Dreamliners, claiming “shortcuts” were used to fit the fuselage parts together.
“Boeing hid the problem by pushing the pieces together with force to make it appear like that the gap didn't exist," Whistleblower Sam Salehpour told NPR reporters at a briefing about his claims on Tuesday.
“It can cause a catastrophic failure," Salehpour said. He is expected to testify Wednesday.
Boeing denied his claims in a statement to NPR.
But Blumenthal said the allegations are shocking. He accused the aircraft-maker of putting profits and speed of production above safety.
“If Boeing continues to disregard safety and quality and put profits over everything else, the public's in danger,” Blumenthal said.
“It creates gaps in manufacturing integrity,” Blumenthal said.
Earlier this year, a door blew off a Boeing 737 Max jet in midair. Several years ago, two Boeing Max planes crashed in Indonesia and Ethiopia.
In a statement, Boeing said it is cooperating with the inquiry. The company said it has offered to provide documents, testimony, and technical briefings.
As chair of the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, Blumenthal will lead questioning at the hearing on April 17th, called "Examining Boeing's Broken Safety Culture: Firsthand Accounts."
"These claims about the structural integrity of the 787 are inaccurate and do not represent the comprehensive work Boeing has done to ensure the quality and long-term safety of the aircraft," Boeing spokeswoman Jessica Kowal said in a statement to NPR. "We are fully confident in the 787 Dreamliner."
