'This Is Hell': Boeing Whistleblower Tells Hawley Planes Aren’t Safe & He’s Being Targeted By Execs
TLDRA Boeing whistleblower, identified as Mr. Salort, testified before a Senate hearing, revealing major safety concerns with both the 787 and the 7 Triple 7 aircraft lines. Despite having raised these issues to superiors, including the company's vice president, his concerns were ignored, and he faced threats and retribution from executives. Salort, an engineer with over 40 years of experience, described the company's process as unstable and likened the situation to an impending earthquake, with planes not being built to specifications. His attempts to address these issues were met with hostility, including being sidelined, threatened, and manipulated to the point of psychological distress. The hearing highlighted the extraordinary measures taken by Boeing to silence its own engineers, rather than addressing the safety crisis.
Takeaways
- 🔍 The whistleblower, an engineer, worked on both the Boeing 787 and 7 Trip 7 planes and identified major safety concerns with both models.
- 📄 He submitted numerous memos over a three-year period to his superiors, including the Vice President of the company, about these safety issues.
- 🚫 Despite raising concerns, the whistleblower was ignored, sidelined, and eventually threatened by the company executives.
- 🛫 The whistleblower believes that the planes are not being built to specifications, which increases risk factors and compromises safety.
- 📉 The company's response to the identified issues was to apply quick fixes, or 'Band-Aids', rather than addressing the root causes.
- 🔩 It was mentioned that over 300 airplanes were made with ongoing process changes, indicating a lack of stability and consistent quality control.
- ✍️ The whistleblower was pressured to write down whether he was 'in or out', implying he had to choose between speaking up and keeping his job.
- 😶 Being 'in' meant staying quiet and not disclosing any information to the public, highlighting a culture of silencing dissent.
- 🤫 The company's executives were accused of using manipulation and retaliation to make the whistleblower's life difficult and force him to stop speaking out.
- 🤔 The whistleblower is still receiving psychological help due to the treatment he received, indicating the severe impact on his mental health.
- 💰 There's an implication that the CEO, Dave Calhoun, is leaving with a significant pay package, contrasting sharply with the whistleblower's situation.
- ❗ The hearing suggests that there are deep-rooted safety and ethical issues within Boeing that need to be addressed urgently.
Q & A
What are the two Boeing airplane models mentioned by the whistleblower?
-The two Boeing airplane models mentioned by the whistleblower are the 787 and the 7 Triple 7.
What is the whistleblower's profession?
-The whistleblower is an engineer who has worked on the 787 and the 7 Triple 7 projects.
What was the whistleblower's initial response when he identified safety concerns with the airplane models?
-The whistleblower wrote many memos over a period of years to his superiors, including the vice president of the company, to report the safety concerns.
How did the company initially respond to the whistleblower's concerns?
-The company initially ignored the whistleblower's concerns and then proceeded to sideline him by removing him from meetings and transferring him to another project.
What kind of threats did the whistleblower receive after raising safety concerns?
-The whistleblower was threatened over his personal phone by his boss, who also pressured him to either comply and remain silent or face further retaliation.
What does the whistleblower believe is the current state of the safety of the mentioned airplane models?
-The whistleblower does not believe the planes are safe, as they are not being built per specification and requirement, which increases risk factors.
What was the whistleblower's analogy to describe the potential future risk to the airplanes?
-The whistleblower used the analogy of an earthquake, stating that the airplanes are like buildings that are not built properly to accommodate the shakeup, implying that the current construction practices are inadequate.
What was the whistleblower's suggestion to address the ongoing problems with the airplane production?
-The whistleblower suggested that the company should consider engineering fundamentals and a more systematic approach to identify and resolve the problems, instead of applying Band-Aid solutions.
How did the company's management manipulate the whistleblower's work situation?
-The management manipulated the whistleblower's work situation by not allowing him to take classes on his own time, canceling his doctor's appointments, and pressuring him to conform or face further retaliation.
What was the whistleblower's description of the work environment after he started raising concerns?
-The whistleblower described the work environment as 'hell', indicating the psychological and emotional toll it took on him.
What is the whistleblower's current status in terms of psychological help?
-The whistleblower is still receiving psychological help to recover from the experience.
What was the reaction of the committee member to the whistleblower's testimony?
-The committee member expressed disbelief and concern over the situation, noting the extraordinary nature of the whistleblower's claims and the corporation's response.
Outlines
🛫 Safety Concerns Over Aircraft Production 🛫
The first paragraph introduces a hearing where an engineer named Mr. Salort is testifying about significant safety concerns he has identified with both the 787 and the 7 Trip 7 aircraft lines. He explains that he has raised these issues with his superiors, including the vice president of the company, Mark Stockton and Le a Fall. Despite his efforts, the company has not addressed these concerns and has instead threatened and sidelined him. The engineer emphasizes the importance of his role as an engineer to ensure public safety and expresses his concern that the aircraft are not being built according to specifications, which increases risk factors. He also mentions the company's response to his concerns, which included being transferred to another project and being threatened by his boss.
🗣️ Engineer's Struggles with Company Retaliation 🗣️
In the second paragraph, the engineer continues to describe the retaliation he faced from the company after raising safety concerns. He recounts how his boss demanded that he choose between being 'in' or 'out', implying that to be 'in' meant to remain silent about the issues. The engineer also details the psychological pressure and manipulation he endured, including being prevented from taking classes and having a doctor's appointment canceled. He describes the working environment as 'hell' and mentions seeking psychological help due to the stress. The paragraph concludes with the senator expressing shock at the company's behavior towards its own engineers during a safety crisis and notes the departure of the company's CEO, Dave Calone, questioning his compensation in contrast to the engineer's situation.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Boeing Whistleblower
💡Safety Concerns
💡FAA
💡787 and 7 Trip 7
💡Engineer's Responsibility
💡Threats and Retaliation
💡Production Issues
💡Stress Concentrations
💡Band-Aid Solutions
💡Psychological Help
💡Corporate Safety Crisis
Highlights
Boeing whistleblower raises major safety concerns about the 787 and 7 Trip 7 planes.
The whistleblower, an engineer, reported his concerns to superiors, including the vice president of the company.
Despite identifying safety issues, the whistleblower claims the planes are not being built per specification.
The whistleblower compares the impending safety risk to an earthquake, suggesting an inevitable crisis if issues are not addressed.
Company executives allegedly threatened and sidelined the whistleblower after he raised safety concerns.
The whistleblower was transferred from the 787 to the 7 Trip 7 project after raising concerns about both.
The whistleblower alleges that over 300 planes were made without resolving known safety issues.
He describes the company's response to problems as applying 'Band-Aid' solutions rather than addressing root causes.
The whistleblower faced pressure and manipulation, including threats and being forced to choose 'in or out' regarding his silence.
The whistleblower's attempts to take classes and attend doctor's appointments were allegedly thwarted by his boss.
The whistleblower describes the work environment as 'hell' and is receiving psychological help due to the retaliation.
Senator Hawley expresses disbelief at the company's treatment of its own engineers during a safety crisis.
The whistleblower's testimony suggests a cover-up of safety issues rather than a proactive approach to solving them.
The hearing reveals a potential safety crisis at Boeing, with executives accused of prioritizing profit over safety.
The whistleblower's concerns have not been addressed, and he was threatened when he tried to speak out.
Senator Hawley calls for further investigation, indicating that the hearing is just 'scratching the surface' of the issue.
The CEO, Dave Calhoun, is mentioned in relation to his compensation, which is implied to be significantly higher than the whistleblower's.