Don't Listen to Sam

Boeing engineer warns of 'catastrophic accidents and passenger fatalities'

“The more I pushed for answers, the greater the retaliation became.” – Sam Salehpour

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Sam Salehpour says he used to drive to work with a guy who couldn’t stop complaining about O-rings.

Stupid rubber doohickeys that won’t seal and even dumber bosses who don’t want to hear about them. This is the kind of chatter that rocket scientists exchange on their commutes.

“The O-ring seals failed, killing all seven people on board the Challenger,” Sam said in written testimony on Wednesday before the a U.S. Senate subcommittee. “Since then, I have always said that if I were in the same situation, I would do everything I could to speak up to try to avoid a tragic result.”

Sam Salehpour tells Congress: “There is no safety culture at Boeing and employees like me who speak up about defects with its production activities and lack of quality control are ignored, marginalized, threatened, sidelined, and worse.” (Photo credit: Screen grab from Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations.)

The Space Shuttle Challenger climbed not much higher than a commercial airliner when it flew apart on Jan. 28, 1986. Sam imagines that a Boeing 787 Dreamliner could fly apart too – with far more fatalities. And he says his bosses at Boeing don’t want to hear it.

“I genuinely believe that the safety problems I have observed at Boeing, if not addressed, could result in a catastrophic failure of a commercial airplane that would lead to the loss of hundreds of lives,” he said. “I am determined to avoid such a result, regardless of the cost to my career.”

Never mind what Sam says

Why listen to Sam? He’s just one of those pesky quality engineers.

Boeing disputes his claims and says it’s “fully confident in the 787 Dreamliner.”

• Never mind that the aviation giant’s safety practices have been under fire since at least 2013 when the Federal Aviation Administration grounded its Dreamliner following onboard lithium battery fires.

• Never mind the 2018 Lion Air MAX crash.

• Never mind the 2019 Ethiopian Airlines MAX crash.

• Never mind the fuselage panel that flew off during an Alaska Airlines flight in January, among other recent frights with Boeing planes.

“Safety is our top priority,” Boeing said in a January press release.

Boeing’s word is about as good as the old Volkswagen clean-diesel commercials.

Regulators know it, but they’ve done little about it. Lawmakers know it, and they’re holding public hearings. Class action lawyers know it, and they’re suing. Investors know it, and here’s where Boeing is paying the biggest price.

Boeing stock is now down about 35% this year and down about 55% from its 2018 high – proving that putting profits before safety isn’t a viable long-term strategy. But you don’t have to employ quality engineers to know that.

Public still at risk

Boeing’s 787 Dreamliner. (Photo. by André Du-pont (Mexico Air Spotters) via Wikimedia Commons)

In addition to the Dreamliner, Sam has worked on the 747, 767, and the 777.

“I am deeply troubled, not only by the specific problems I personally observed while working on the 787 and 777 airplanes, but also by the broader pattern of Boeing ignoring and suppressing safety and quality issues.” –Sam Salehpour.

Sam is not the only Boeing insider blowing the whistle. Lawmakers also heard from former Boeing manager Edward Pierson, who offered equally terrifying observations.

“Manufacturing conditions that led to the two 737 MAX disasters and the Alaska Airlines accident, continue to exist, putting the public at risk.” – Edward Pierson.

What happens to whistleblowers

Sam, who has worked at Boeing for 17 years, is still employed there, thanks to some effective lawyering and whistleblower protections provided by law. It can’t be easy reporting to the office. He said he’s been transferred, sidelined, harassed, physically threatened, and lives in fear.

“My supervisor said to me, ‘I would have killed anyone who said what you said if it was from some other group, I would tear them apart.’ I provided evidence of this threat as part of an ethics complaint, but no action has been taken and I continue to report to a supervisor who has threatened me with bodily injury for speaking out.” – Sam Salehpour

What kind of company hires a quality engineer, refuses to listen to his observations, and then threatens him? Why not hire an oncologist to check out that lump in your head and then let the brain cancer run its course?

“I’m at peace because by coming forward, I will be saving a lot of lives. Whatever happens, it happens.” – Sam Salehpour

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Now boarding?

When air travelers purchase tickets, they usually don’t check the type of aircraft they’ll be boarding. Most Boeing jets take off and land without incident, but in an interview with NBC News earlier this week, Sam said he would not put his family on a 787 Dreamliner.

Are you listening to Sam?

“The only thing that is more dangerous than a dangerous environment, is the illusion of a safe environment.” - Edward Pierson.

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