New whistleblower testimony in a Senate report released late Monday alleges that Boeing Co. has a history of attempting to “eliminate quality inspections” and mishandling damaged parts, sparking concern among senators that the aircraft manufacturer prioritizes production over safety.
The preliminary report, arising from a Senate Homeland Security Investigations Subcommittee investigation into the company, cast a shadow over Boeing CEO Dave Calhoun’s appearance Tuesday on Capitol Hill.
“It’s not enough for Boeing to shrug their shoulders and say ‘Well, mistakes happen.’ This is not an industry where it’s okay to cut corners, to reduce inspections, to take shortcuts and rely on broken parts that happened to be sitting around,” subcommittee Chair Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., said during the hearing. “It is not an industry where it’s okay to rush planes out the door.”
