The company is facing new allegations that it ignored safety concerns in its production process
American plane maker Boeing $BA is in hot water right now after a series of high-profile issues involving its aircraft. In the past few months alone, planes have lost landing gears, door panels and, just this week, a Boeing plane was forced to land after an engine cover came off. Now, the company is facing allegations that it ignored safety concerns in its production process.
The Federal Aviation Administration has launched an investigation into claims that Boeing “dismissed safety and quality concerns” that were made by a company whistleblower, reports Reuters. According to the site:
Boeing engineer Sam Salehpour’s allegations stem from work on the company’s widebody 787 and 777 jets. He said he faced retaliation, such as threats and exclusion from meetings, after he identified engineering problems that affected the structural integrity of the jets, and claimed Boeing employed shortcuts to reduce bottlenecks during 787 assembly, his attorneys said.
Boeing halted deliveries of the 787 widebody jet for more than a year until August 2022 as the FAA investigated quality problems and manufacturing flaws.
The Seattle-based company has refuted the claims, issuing a statement to Reuters that said it was “fully confident in the 787 Dreamliner,” reports the news agency. The company added that the allegations do not “represent the comprehensive work Boeing has done to ensure the quality and long-term safety of the aircraft.”
Upon its launch, the 787 Dreamliner craft did have issues of its own, with battery packs used in the plane suffering short-circuits in some aircraft. However, Boeing’s recent issues have stemmed from its next-generation 737 fleet.
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