As the Federal Aviation Administration continues to investigate one of the nation’s leading aircraft manufacturers, Senator Chuck Grassley has announced a new inquiry. Aerospace giant Boeing And the FAA was also suspended over concerns about safety risks and lax oversight.
“Boeing profits off billions of taxpayer dollars each year, and thousands of Americans rely on Boeing planes to get from one place to another every day,” the Iowa Republican told Fox News Digital. “By cutting corners or turning a blind eye to obvious problems, Boeing puts passenger safety at grave risk.”
Grassley touted a “history of plane accidents” involving Boeing jets, ranging from the explosion on TWA Flight 800 in 1996 to Alaska Airlines Flight 1282, in which a door panel broke off a Boeing 737 Max plane at 16,000 feet in January. Eight people suffered minor injuries.
“If this incident had occurred at cruising altitude, the consequences would have been catastrophic,” Grassley said in a letter to outgoing Boeing CEO David Calhoun.
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A door panel on a Boeing 737-9 MAX aircraft flew off mid-flight after Alaska Airlines Flight 1282 took off from Portland International Airport on January 5. (NTSB)
Calhoun and FAAGrassley demanded an explanation of what went wrong and what was being done to prevent it from happening again.
“Boeing is entrusted with the enormous responsibility of building the airplanes that Americans depend on every day, and the FAA is tasked with making sure they do it safely,” he wrote. “Boeing’s track record, as well as recent reports, demonstrate that aircraft safety has not been a paramount concern and the FAA has provided inadequate oversight to ensure it remains so.”
Senator Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, has sent letters to the FAA and Boeing notifying them that he has begun a congressional oversight investigation. (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images/File)
Grassley’s office described Boeing’s quality control and inspection practices as “questionable” and called on the FAA to step up its oversight.
“The FAA should do this Taxpayers are paying “The agency must keep up the pressure on its investigation of Boeing and hold the company accountable for the failures in aviation safety that employees and bipartisan lawmakers, including me, are bringing to light,” he said.
The FAA declined to comment and said it would respond directly to the senator.
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Boeing 787 Dreamliners are shown at the airline’s assembly plant in North Charleston, South Carolina on May 30, 2023. (Juliet Mitchell/AFP via Getty Images)
Grassley also denounced allegations of retaliation by whistleblowers, and referenced the recent suicide of John Barnett, who claimed substandard parts were being used at a Boeing plant in South Carolina and that faulty components were going undetected.
His Death in March His death was ruled a suicide. It occurred while he was testifying as part of a retaliation lawsuit against Boeing, and his lawyers argued that the company was responsible for his death.
“Mr. Barnett’s final words make it clear that even if Boeing did not fire the shots, the company is responsible for his death,” his attorneys, Robert Turkewitz and Brian Knowles, said in a joint statement after police released Barnett’s suicide note.
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Boeing whistleblower John Barnett spoke out against the company’s practices and filed a whistleblower retaliation lawsuit. He committed suicide while testifying in the case in March. (TMZ)
In it he wrote that he “couldn’t do this anymore” and apologized to his loved ones.
He said, “Bury me face down so Boeing and their lying leaders can kiss my ass.”
Investigators determined Barnett suffered from PTSD, anxiety and panic attacks, which his attorneys blamed on Boeing.
Last week, new York Times The FAA is investigating how titanium of unverified origin, possibly counterfeit, ended up in a Boeing contractor’s supply line after its vendors concealed its source with forged documents.
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A Boeing employee works on the rear of a 787 Dreamliner at the Boeing manufacturing facility in North Charleston, South Carolina on December 13, 2022. (Logan Cyrus/AFP via Getty Images)
According to the FAA, Boeing discovered the problem and alerted federal authorities and its suppliers. The problem reportedly affected Boeing’s Main competitor, Airbus,
“Boeing has made a voluntary disclosure to the FAA about purchases of material through a distributor that may have submitted erroneous records or provided incorrect information,” the FAA said in a statement. “Boeing has issued a bulletin informing suppliers how to be alert to the possibility of erroneous records.”
The FAA said it was considering the “scope and impact” of the issue.
Read Senator Grassley’s letter to Boeing CEO Dave Calhoun
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Contractor Spirit AeroSystems did not immediately respond to a request for comment. However, a spokesperson told the Times that the company has discontinued “all suspect parts” that used the suspect alloy.
Grassley also pointed to Boeing’s “history of plane crashes,” including two fatal accidents in 2018 And 2019 and the explosion of TWA Flight 800 in 1996, which killed 573 people in total.
Boeing CEO Dave Calhoun (Reuters/Valerie Insina/File)
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Boeing did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Boeing has previously said some wear-and-tear problems are not the result of manufacturing defects but the responsibility of airlines, which maintain their own fleets.
Last week, the company told Fox Business That he was checking some fasteners on a batch of 787 Dreamliner jets that may have been installed incorrectly.
