They have no end the revelations about Boeing with federal authorities having launched an investigation after a whistleblower repeatedly raised concerns about two aircraft models. In fact, the whistleblower claimed that his company attacked him after the revelations.

This is Sam Salehpour, a Boeing engineer, who claims that did not apply the correct procedure during the construction of the 777 and 787 Dreamliners and that the risks could become catastrophic as the planes age.

The New York Times was the first to publicize the whistleblower’s complaint. His formal complaint with the Federal Aviation Administration, filed last January and made public Tuesday, does not specifically address the newest 737 Max jet that has been grounded twice by the Federal Aviation Administration.

Salehpour argued yesterday that his complaint raised “two issues regarding the quality of work that can dramatically reduce the lifespan of the planes.”
“I’m doing this not because I want Boeing to fail, but because I want it to succeed and prevent any accidents,” Salehpour told reporters on a conference call Tuesday. “The truth is that Boeing cannot continue as it is. She needs to get a little better, I think.”

The FAA interviewed Salehpour as part of its investigation, said his attorney Lisa Banks. The FAA said it was investigating all complaints made.
A Senate subcommittee will also look into concerns about the company at a hearing next week.

Boeing did not immediately comment on the claims about the 777, but disputed Salehpour’s concerns about the 787. “These claims about the structural integrity of the 787 are inaccurate and do not represent the comprehensive work Boeing has done to ensure quality and the long-term safety of the aircraft,” the company said in a statement.

Gaps in the Dreamliner

Boeing’s 787 Dreamliner planes, which entered service in 2011, could have a lifespan of 50 years — about 44,000 flights each, the company says.
However, Salehpour alleges in his complaint that crews assembling the plane failed to properly fill tiny gaps when connecting the separately manufactured fuselage parts together. This puts more wear and tear on the plane, shortening its lifespan and putting it at risk of “catastrophic” failure, its lawyers claimed.

But the claims aren’t entirely new: For nearly two years, starting in 2021, the FAA and Boeing halted deliveries of new Dreamliners while they looked into the gaps. Boeing said it made changes to its manufacturing process and deliveries eventually resumed.

The 787 Dreamliners were not grounded, but the FAA has twice investigated questions about quality control during the aircraft’s assembly process. The company maintained that the planes were and are safe to fly.

Salehpour’s lawyers said the FAA was surprised to find out through his complaint that the gaps were still a problem.

“I literally saw people jumping on pieces of the plane to align them,” Salehpour said. “Jumping up and down deforms the parts so that the holes temporarily line up … that’s not how you build an airplane.”

Meanwhile, Salehpour said Boeing attacked him after he expressed another concern about the 787 and a different airplane model.

The whistleblower’s complaint stated that he pointed out to management the existence of drilling problems with the 787 and was subsequently ignored and eventually moved from the 787 program to the 777 program.”

The whistleblower said he discovered shoddy work aligning body parts and complained of pressuring engineers to give the go-ahead for work they had not yet inspected.

In total, Salehpour said the issues affect more than 400 777s and 1,000 787s.