After the famous hearing of the GameStop affair in February 2021 or that of TikTok in March 2023, American senators hailed another big affair that turned into a real saga. Boeing and the safety of its aircraft were the subject of a commission of inquiry, whose hearing was held on Tuesday, June 18, at 2:00 p.m. in Washington.
Despite the Alaska Airlines flight incident last January, in which a Boeing 737 lost an emergency door during takeoff, Boeing chief Dave Calhoun has yet to appear publicly. An important opportunity for elected officials to question the man who was called to Boeing’s rescue in 2020.
And so in Washington, behind the doors of the Senate, Dave Calhoun faced what he had been called to do four years earlier. His presence at the helm of Boeing was actually voted for after the 737 Max 8 crashes in October 2018 and March 2019. Seated behind him during the hearing, relatives of the victims waved photos of the dead.
Taking responsibility for the company’s failures, Boeing CEO David Calhoun on Tuesday apologized to the families of people killed in crashes (Lion Air Flight 610 off Indonesia in 2018 and Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302 near Addis Ababa in 2019 d.) in the manufacturer’s aircraft,… pic.twitter.com/joUbgigC2n
— FL360aero (@fl360aero) June 19, 2024
“I apologize for the distress we have caused and want you to know that we are fully committed, in their memory, to working and focusing on safety for so long.” (…) Once again, I apologise”, he announced. The words refuted by the families, “neither moved nor impressed,” describe them on New York Times.
“Boeing is responsible”
In response to senators’ questions, Dave Calhoun initially chose responsibility. But liability is limited to 737 Max 8 crashes between 2018 and 2019. “I accept that MCAS and Boeing are responsible for these incidents”Dave Calhoun pointed out.
The problem with the 737 Max
MCAS, or Maneuverability Augmentation System, is none other than the system involved in the fatal 737 Max accidents. With this tool, both hardware and software, Boeing’s new plane should be able to avoid jams when piloted manually. In the end, it will prove to be more dangerous than safe.
Behind the component defects, the regulator (the Federal Aviation Administration) did not perform any thorough inspections as it should have done. A shortcoming for which he refuses to accept responsibility, placing the blame on Boeing, who would have underestimated the importance of MCAS in order to avoid additional inspections and stress tests.
The omission later led the US Congress to vote to reform the aircraft review process. The 737 Max program itself was grounded. In 2024, its production is already limited to 38 devices per month.
Purposeful and limited liability
When discussing Boeing’s responsibility for the two crashes that killed 346 passengers, Dave Calhoun did not elaborate on the plane maker’s responsibility in more recent incidents. In this way, the boss managed to remain evasive on the issue of current models and future models, like the 777X.
Regarding the Alaska Airlines 737 Max 9 that lost a door last January, the Boeing boss commented: “It’s a manufacturing defect, it created a dangerous plane”. We recall that according to an investigation by the US Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), four fastening bolts were not replaced after an intervention, before the delivery of the device to the company.
Multiple pressures
employees
To shed light on the situation internally at Boeing, several employees have decided to testify in recent months. The ability to emphasize the heavy internal pressure, whether in the race for profits or the obligation to remain silent.
Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Connecticut, told David Calhoun that after the Alaska Airline flight door was ripped off, the company’s facade was crumbling. “We have learned that this pit is bottomless”. He justified the nature of Boeing’s problems with “a culture that continues to prioritize profits, push the envelope and ignore its employees”.
A few hours before the hearing, a quality assurance inspector named Sam Mohawk decided to speak. So he joined a small group of whistleblowers in the Boeing plane safety scandal, alleging that his superiors pressured him to cover up problematic elements that would serve as evidence in Boeing’s investigations.
Sam Mohawk claims that the number of non-compliance reports has increased by 300% compared to the period before the 737 Max program. Words we should have the courage to offer as Senator Richard Blumenthal mentioned “a culture that allows revenge”. In two months, between March and May, two whistleblowers lost their lives. The first after suicide and the second after a sudden infection.
Regulators
Since May, the Federal Aviation Administration has been investigating the most advanced Boeing on the market, the 787 Dreamliner. Added pressure on the aircraft manufacturer as some officials mentioned the presence of falsified inspection files on a total of 450 aircraft.
In its defense, Boeing preferred to place the blame on its employees, who allegedly violated company policies by failing to perform certain mandated tests. Dave Calhoun quoted Boeing’s previously published statement: “We continually encourage our employees to report any concerns as our priority is to ensure the safety of our aircraft and passengers. »
We just announced a $6 billion order for 15 more @Airbus A350 aircraft at this year’s show @DubaiAirshow. https://t.co/CffQSWCtdW pic.twitter.com/spH4vYtyb1
— Emirates (@emirates) November 16, 2023
Companies
The companies did not fail to increase the pressure. Boeing’s main customers quickly distanced themselves from the American company, with Emirates at the forefront. The Dubai-based company has placed an order for 65 Airbus A350s, a new generation of long-haul aircraft in direct competition with Boeing’s 777 and 787 Dreamliners.
“come together”, the Emirates CEO said after the delays and problems at Boeing. The boss of Lufthansa also spoke, who called Boeing’s delays a case study “extremely annoying and costing us a lot of money”. Ryanair, the company Low price The European Union, which operates the most 737s in its fleet, also regrets having to deal with 17 missing planes this summer of 2024.
Without access to the Chinese market due to the suspension of approvals for the 737, 787 and 777X, Boeing is in the midst of a sales slump with just 3 net orders booked last May for 24 deliveries. In total, the plane maker delivered 131 aircraft and recorded 142 gross orders this year, compared to 256 aircraft delivered by Airbus and 237 net orders in the same period. However, Boeing has no shortage of full backlog orders: 6,188 are still pending.
The Airbus Manual
Airbus on the other hand is doing well, very well. The European plane maker is experiencing resounding success with its A220s, even more economical planes that can compete with the aging A319s as well as the newer A320neo. Airbus discovered by purchasing a program almost 100% developed by Canada’s Bombardier, something European and American companies are snapping up.
in parallel, the first A321 XLR (Extra Long Range) is about to make its first commercial flight. From September 15, it will have a daily connection between Madrid and Boston with the company Iberia. After the A321neo, it is the second single-aisle aircraft on the market to operate transatlantic flights at this level. A way for certain companies to open up to more distant destinations without having to order expensive and less versatile long-haul aircraft.
Bad spirit
To reiterate his limited liability, Dave Calhoun mentioned the Spirit file during the hearing and denied being solely to blame for the defects in his devices. Spirit, in conjunction with the company Spirit AeroSystems, supplies the fuselage parts for the 737. A way for Boeing to lighten the burden and suggests today that the takeover of Spirit AeroSystems by the aircraft manufacturer would be a way to better oversee the quality of the parts received .
As a Boeing supplier, Spirit AeroSystems is also the company where the whistleblower, who died after a “sudden and rapid” infection, worked. Owned by Boeing before 2005, today it has become a central company in the aerospace industry, including from Airbus, which orders the A220 wings and parts of the A350 fuselage.
Seeking comment from Boeing on the death of the whistleblower and Spirit employee, our colleagues at the Gizmodo stated that the aircraft manufacturer sent them back directly to its supplier. The facts dating back to last month illustrate the extent to which Boeing is currently using Spirit AeroSystems as a cover and avoiding any responsibility.
Evasive responses, appropriate actions
Connecticut Sen. Richard Blumenthal, who also chaired the hearing, revealed to New York Times that he found Dave Calhoun’s answers particularly evasive. He added that the Senate subcommittee would take appropriate action.
He also criticized Boeing’s submission of documents following the subcommittee’s pre-hearing requests. “nonsense” he criticized, brandishing a multi-page document with no paragraphs or other form of layout.
It was after a question from Republican Party member and Missouri Senator Josh Hawley that the tension came to a head. “When you look at how much you get paid (…) if there’s anyone who does well in all of this, it’s you” he explained to the Boeing boss before asking him why he had not decided to resign.
“I am proud to have taken this position. I’m proud of the people at Boeing. I am proud of all the actions we have taken”Dave Calhoun replied, while Josh Hawley tried to destabilize him by replying: “and boasts fake security checks? “. His departure has already been planned since March 25 and will take effect at the end of the year, except “deep rearrangement”.