In a preview of his testimony to Congress, Boeing engineer Sam Salehpour said in a television interview Tuesday night that the 787 Dreamliner had to land immediately because it could “collapse” in the air.
Boeing, which has faced intense scrutiny since the January crash, sought to proactively defend itself on Monday, holding a press event with two senior engineers who attested to the plane’s safety and denied Salehpour’s claims.
Sen. Richard Blumenthal, Democrat of Connecticut, will chair Wednesday’s hearing, “Examining Boeing’s Broken Safety Culture: First Account,” and described Salehpour’s allegations as “serious.”
“If Boeing continues to ignore safety and quality and profit over everything, the public is at risk because it’s creating a gap in manufacturing integrity,” Blumenthal said on Connecticut Public Radio.
In addition to Salehpour, the witness list includes former Boeing engineers and current Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) staff at the Aviation Safety Foundation, who have also been critical of Boeing’s practices.
The fourth witness on the list is Sean Pruchnicki, a former pilot now at Ohio State University, who cast doubt on Boeing’s claims in an interview with CNN.
Boeing representatives would not testify at the hearing, but the company said it was cooperating with the investigation.
“We have offered to submit documents, guidelines and technical briefings and are discussing next steps with the Subcommittee,” he said.
