Senators plan to rebuke Boeing’s chief executive at a hearing on the company’s safety practices following a disastrous January flight in which a panel exploded on one of the planes.
In a report released hours before the hearing, a Senate investigative subcommittee accused Boeing of mismanaging parts and reducing quality inspections in recent years.
Boeing CEO Dave Calhoun expressed regret over the January flight and planned to acknowledge to the subcommittee that the company’s culture was “far from perfect,” according to prepared remarks.
The hearing, scheduled for 2 p.m., will be Mr. Calhoun’s first appearance before Congress since the January flight involving a 737 Max 9 plane. Mr. Calhoun, who plans to step down at the end of the year, took over as chief executive in 2019 after two fatal crashes of a smaller version of the 737 Max 8 jet. The crash, which killed 346 people, led to a worldwide ban on flying for 20 months.
Sen. Richard Blumenthal, a Connecticut Democrat who chairs the committee, said in a statement that Mr. Calhoun had assured lawmakers that he was the leader Boeing needed to turn the corner after the Max crashes in 2018 and 2019. Mr. Blumenthal said the company. It seemed to be heading in the right direction until an incident occurred in January when a “door plug” used to cover an unused emergency exit tore during an Alaska Airlines flight at about 16,000 feet above sea level near Portland, Oregon. Mr. Blumenthal said the incident exposed numerous shortcuts the company had taken over the years.
“Last January, the exterior literally collapsed the hollow shell that Boeing had promised the world,” Mr. Blumenthal said. “And once the gap was revealed, we learned that the void beneath it was virtually bottomless.”
The subcommittee cited several whistleblowers in its report, including one who first shared his concerns publicly with The New York Times. The report also included claims from another whistleblower, a current Boeing employee. He accused the company of failing to track unauthorized parts and, in some cases, allowing them to be used on the production line. The subcommittee also said Boeing has made “years of effort” to reduce quality inspections.
“We received this document late Monday evening and are reviewing the claims,” Boeing said in a statement. “Ensuring the safety of our aircraft and the flying public is our top priority, so we continually encourage our employees to report any concerns.”
On May 30, Boeing presented a required plan to the Federal Aviation Administration on how it will address safety and quality issues that emerged after the door plug incident. Last week, the FAA and the European Union Aviation Safety Agency said they were investigating how titanium with falsified documents was used in Boeing and Airbus aircraft.
Boeing made several changes in the months following the panel explosion, including expanding training for new employees, ordering more tools and equipment, helping managers spend less time in meetings and more time on the factory floor, and increasing inspections at Boeing. He said he had experienced it. And from the best suppliers.
The company also said it had held more than 20 meetings at sites around the world where work was halted to re-emphasize its commitment to quality and encouraged employees to voice concerns and share ideas on how to improve quality. Tens of thousands of employees participated in these meetings and provided thousands of suggestions, the company said.
In prepared remarks, Mr. Calhoun said the company was taking steps to improve safety and quality. He apologized to the families of the Max crash victims and said the company regrets how the January incident affected passengers and Alaska Airlines.
“Our planes have transported more than twice the population of the Earth,” Mr. Calhoun said in his remarks. “Getting this right is critical for our company, the customers who fly every day, and our country.”
