Fresh Probe Against Boeing After Whistleblower Alleges Flaws In 787 Dreamliner

(RTTNews) - Aerospace major Boeing Co. is going through a fresh investigation by the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration or FAA following allegations made by a whistleblower about potential quality issues in 777 and 787 Dreamliner jets, reports said.

Boeing engineer Sam Salehpour has filed a complaint with FAA alleging the company dismissed quality and safety concerns during production of its 777 and 787 Dreamliner jets and used shortcuts during the assembly process.

The federal regulator's safety officials reportedly are investigating the claims by the whistleblower, who noted that Boeing in 2021 used shortcuts on more than 1,000 planes that placed excessive stress on important joints and embedded drilling debris between joints. The errors, which could be difficult to detect, are likely to reduce the plane's lifespan.

He alleges that the company managers dismissed quality concerns, while Boeing denied the allegations and said the issues were previously raised and have been subject to rigorous testing and analysis. According to the firm, the analysis has validated that these issues do not present any safety concerns and the aircraft will maintain its service life over several decades.

Stating its full confidence in the 787 Dreamliner, Boeing reportedly said, "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."

The FAA is already investigating Sunday morning's emergency landing by Southwest Airlines' Boeing 737-800 flight after its engine cover fell off and struck the wing flap during takeoff.

Boeing, which was stuck with many struggles mainly over the past five years, has been under severe scrutiny in recent times after a January 5 incident in which a mid-cabin door plug from Alaska Airlines' Boeing 737-9 MAX airplane blew out in the middle of the flight. The incident was addressed by Boeing Chief Executive Officer Dave Calhoun as a watershed moment for Boeing.

Following the incident, the company had to face the grounding of its 737 MAX 9 airplanes for several weeks by the FAA, which also investigated Boeing's manufacturing practices and production lines, including those involving subcontractor Spirit AeroSystems.

In early March, the FAA had nnounced that its production audit of Boeing and Spirit AeroSystems identified multiple quality control lapses, and halted production expansion of the Boeing 737 MAX.

The Justice Department had also initiated a criminal investigation into the MAX 9 incident.

Amid the ongoing safety crisis, CEO Calhoun last month had announced his intention to step down after being in the lead role during the past few tumultus years for the aerospace giant.