Boeing faces new scrutiny as allegations emerge from a whistleblower about the assembly of its 787 and 777 jets. Boeing engineer Sam Salehpour reveals issues that could potentially compromise the structural integrity and lifespan of some aircraft.
These detailed complaints, submitted to the Federal Aviation Administration, highlight critical flaws in the assembly process, particularly with the 787. He claims that during the plane’s assembly, crews failed to properly fill tiny gaps between fuselage parts, a problem that not only puts additional wear on the aircraft but could lead to catastrophic failures. The whistleblower’s assertion that Boeing prioritized speed over safety in its assembly line practices adds to a growing narrative of concern surrounding the aerospace giant’s production culture.
The company has defended the 787’s structural integrity, stating that the issues raised do not affect the plane’s safety or expected service life. However, Salehpour’s revelations, corroborated by historical production pauses and delivery halts for the Dreamliner due to similar quality concerns, cast a shadow over these assertions.
[F]actory workers had to jump on aeroplane panels to make them fit because they were so seriously misaligned. …Boeing would allow the fuselage sections to be pushed together with excessive force prior to measuring if there were any gaps. This process made it appear as if there weren’t any gaps.
As a result, special filler pieces known as shims that are meant to fill in the gaps weren’t inserted on some aircraft. Salehpour believes this has been going on since 2012 and continued even after the FAA’s intervention in 2020. “I literally saw people jumping on the pieces of the airplane to get them to align.”
Boeing 787-8
According to Salehpour, his attempts to raise these issues internally were met with retaliation, being told to “shut up” and threatened with being beaten up. The timing of these allegations could not be more challenging for Boeing, already grappling with the fallout from previous crises, including the 737 Max incidents.
Boeing 787, Credit United
I was first to report on the Boeing whistleblower who revealed that the 737 production line had an enormous volume of defects, and that the bolts on the Alaska Airlines MAX 9 door plug were never installed. Another Boeing whistleblower was found dead the morning he was supposed to complete a deposition.
I travel safely , so I have my wife drive me . She is especially good at backing up .
there will be more and more of these stories come out as many former and current Boeing employees want to say “I told you so”
The real question is how long it will take for Boeing to fix all of these production issues and do manufacturing the way they said they would do it so that certification of new aircraft and production rate increases can occur.
@Tim Dunn … One constant in human history has been Greed . An example are airlines carrying more and more passengers , squeezing them into airplanes , two engines rather than four , extra fees for everything , and less service or amenities . Including Delta , you will be surprised to see .
So this has been going on quite a while and airplanes have been falling out of the sky because of it?
So employees would somwhow jump on the sides of fuselages? Or precariously balance on.the top? These folks are amazing, defying gravity and all.
This reminds me of the Letterman velcro suit or the Seinfeld magic loogey.
The long-term issues with composite designs is still out, notwithstanding whatever this whistleblower claims.
Experience in aerospace is not valued! From my personal experience, Myself and a few Co-workers tried to get engineering to change planning and blue prints at a now closed aerospace company, Engineering’s arrogance literally gave us 7+ years of work while 65 co-workers were laid off until the MD 80 was discontinued! Opps, I didn’t mean to mention Mc Donnell Douglas.