Earlier this year, Boeing, which faced a series of aircraft safety issues including an incident where a window and fuselage were torn off during flight, has been confirmed by a whistleblower's testimony to have hidden defective parts to evade regulatory scrutiny in the past.
On the 18th (local time), CNN reported that according to a report from the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee's investigative subcommittee, Sam Mohawk, a whistleblower from Boeing's Quality Assurance Department, stated that the company covertly moved 737 Max parts that deviated from specifications or were damaged and falsified related records.
Mohawk claimed that Boeing took these concealment measures last June when an inspection by the regulatory authority, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), was imminent. He expressed concern that the hidden nonconforming parts could be installed on aircraft and speculated that some of these parts might have been installed on certain aircraft. He also alleged that the company retaliated against him for raising these concerns.
The report also revealed that Boeing was caught by the FAA in 2021 for regulatory violations, including assigning internal inspections to manufacturing workers who were not qualified. Boeing stated that it corrected the issue last year.
A hearing was held along with the release of the report. Dave Calhoun, Boeing's CEO and Chairman, who attended the hearing, said, "On behalf of all Boeing employees worldwide, past and present, I want to apologize for the losses."
Boeing stated that it is reviewing the new allegations included in the report regarding Mohawk's claims.
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