U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal vows a “reckoning” during a Senate hearing Tuesday interrogating Boeing executives about ongoing safety problems with the company’s planes.
The Senate’s Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations will also question Boeing CEO Dave Calhoun about the company’s handling of several high-profile mechanical and safety problems and what the manufacturer is doing about them.
“Let me put it very simply, Boeing must repair a broken safety culture,” Blumenthal, (D) Conn., said during a press conference Tuesday before flying down to Washington.
Boeing has been making headlines since a door blew off an Alaskan Airlines plane back in January. Several other problems since then have attracted news and social media attention.
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Boeing has maintained that safety is a top priority and says it welcomes Tuesday’s hearing.
“We are committed to fostering a culture of accountability and transparency while upholding the highest standards of safety and quality,” the company said in a statement.
Several whistleblowers have said the company has prioritized profits on safety, though, including removing independent inspections and looking the other way when non-conforming parts go missing.
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They also accused Boeing of retaliating against employees who speak up, including physical threats or hurting their careers.
One whistleblower, John Barnett, was found dead during a days-long deposition on his claims. His death was initially ruled a suicide but is still under investigation.
The Department of Justice, meanwhile, is also conducting its own investigations. One is a criminal investigation of the January incident with the Alaska Airlines craft.
The Justice Department is also revisiting a 2019 settlement with Boeing, when it agreed to a $2.5 billion settlement but did not pursue criminal charges stemming from two international crashes of Boeing planes that resulted in the deaths of nearly 350 people.
Boeing’s problems likely extend beyond the federal government.
“You're going need a leader that’s focused on the purpose and the people before the profits, because they are bleeding right now,” University of New Haven professor and marketing expert Angelica Gianchandani said.
Gianchandani noted the negative publicity could hurt Boeing’s reputation as it continues to battle European rival Airbus for manufacturing contracts.
She said Boeing’s role as the key player in aviation, a critical U.S. industry, makes its success important for the country’s economy.
“That is the gold standard and for the American economy it is so important – aviation,” Gianchandani said.
