Boeing CEO admits company has retaliated against whistleblowers during Senate hearing: ‘I know it happens’
Kicking off his testimony at the special committee on Tuesday, Calhoun apologized to the families of Boeing crash victims who were present
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The CEO of Boeing has admitted the company retaliated against whistleblowers who have spoken out against alleged production malpractices, telling a special Senate hearing: “I know it happens.”
David Calhoun apologized to the families of Boeing crash victims, saying the manufacturer was “totally committed” to future saftey improvements, as he began testimony at the committee on Tuesday.
It comes as the embattled aircraft manufacturer faces a string of lawsuits relating to malpractice, after a door plug of a 737 Max 9 blew off during an Alaska Airlines flight in January.
Multiple whistleblowers have since come forward with concerns about violations of safety during production inspections, and many have claimed they were “retaliated” against by Boeing.
Asked about how many Boeing employees had been disciplined for retaliating against whistleblowers, Calhoun responded: “I don't have that number on the tip of my tongue, but I know it. I know it happens.”
Senator Richard Blumenthal, who chaired the hearing told him: “You have a duty to demand the highest safety standards... and [ensure] that ‘speak up’ in fact means speak up, not shut up, as it is meant all too often.”
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An attorney for the Boeing whistleblower, the late John Barnett, has said Tuesday’s senate hearing into Boeing’s alleged malpractices has proved that his client’s life’s work “was not in vain.”
In a statement shared with The Independent, Rob Turkewitz said: “In testimony before a Senate subcommittee, we heard loud and clear that John Barnett’s life’s work was not in vain.
“John’s legacy is the bravery he showed in blowing the whistle on Boeing, and his tireless commitment to public safety. John, and the other whistleblowers who had the courage to stand with him, have woken up the government and the American people to the major safety crisis Boeing created and is responsible for.
“Boeing’s CEO Dave Calhoun had his own reckoning before the Senate subcommittee, acknowledging that he had never spoken to any of the whistleblowers.
“Calhoun in no uncertain terms was admonished by US Senators that turning a deaf ear on whistleblowers would not be tolerated and had to change immediately at Boeing.”
Barnett, 62, a quality control engineer at Boeing for 32 years, was found dead at a South Carolina hotel in March, from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. A coroner later ruled that he died by suicide. At the time he was testifying in a lawsuit against the aircraft manufacturer.
Asked how he felt about the news of Barnett’s death during the hearing, Calhoun replied: “Heartbroken”.
Families unsatisfied by Boeing CEO testimony
Clariss Moore — mother of Danielle Moore, a traveler who died in a crash in Ethiopia in 2019 — shouted “how could you?” as David Calhoun left Tuesday’s Senate hearing.
In an interview with CNN, Moore later said that she was not satisfied with Calhoun’s apology and called for criminal prosecution against him and other executives of the manufacturer.
“What is justice? What is accountability? They should be in jail,” she said.
Boeing CEO apologizes to crash victims’ families at tense Senate hearing
Boeing CEO David Calhoun apologized to the families of crash victims, saying the embattled company was “totally committed” to future aircraft safety, as he faced an intense grilling at a special Senate hearing.
Read more here:
Boeing CEO apologizes to crash victims’ families at tense Senate hearing
David Calhoun was questioned on manufacturing practices and whistleblower safety as well as facing calls for his resignation
Watch: Boeing CEO apologizes to families of plane crash victims during Senate hearing
Live coverage over
The Independent’s live coverage of the Boeing Senate hearing has now ended.
Check back for further updates when they come.
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Roy Irvin, who worked as a quality investigator for Boeing for six years, said the aircraft manufacturer was “infested with ‘yes men’ and bean-counters”, and that the company would “tear down and rebuild” to make significant progress.
Read The Indpendent’s exclusive story here:
Latest Boeing whistleblower suggests ‘infested’ company ‘should be torn down’
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In pictures: David Calhoun faces intense questioning at Senate hearing
Emotions rise as Boeing Senate hearing ends
Emotions ran high as the special Senate hearing into Boeing concluded, with family members of crash victims shouting at CEO David Calhoun as he left the chamber.
“How could you? How could you?” one woman was heard to shout, as Calhoun left following around two hours of grilling. Calhoun did not appear to reply.
Senator Richard Blumenthal concluded the hearing by reminding Calhoun that the safety issues at Boeing were “a matter of life and death.”
“I think that you’ve certainly demonstrated that you can talk about these changes, but making the changes may well require a different team and accountability is very important for the past, but also going forward for the future.
“We look forward to hearing more from Boeing. I look forward to hearing from the airlines... and we are going to pursue many of these issues, because they are a matter of life and death. And they have profound consequences to our economy and to the traveling public.
Senator Blumenthal went on to thank the hearing attendees, especially the families of the victims, adding that the Senate continued to encourage further whistleblowers to come forward.
Senator Hawley to Calhoun: ‘You’re the problem'
Missouri Senator Josh Hawley accused Boeing CEO David Calhoun of trying to blame the company’s problems on the employees, telling him “you’re the problem.”
“I don’t think the problem’s with the employees,” Hawley said in another searing attack. “I think the problem’s with you. You. It’s the c-suite. It’s the management. It’s what you’ve done to this company. That’s where the problem is.”
Hawley said Boeing’s machinists and engineers are probably the best in the world.
“You’re the problem,” he said to Calhoun. “And I just hope to God you don’t destroy this company before it can be saved.”
Whistleblower John Barnett’s death was ‘heartbreaking’ says Boeing CEO
Boeing CEO said that the death of whistleblower John Barnett earlier this year was “heartbreaking”.
Barnett, 62, a quality control engineer at Boeing for 32 years, was found dead at a South Carolina hotel in March, from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. A coroner later ruled that he died by suicide. At the time he was testifying in a lawsuit against the aircraft manufacturer.
An autopsy report, released by the Charleston County Coroner, stated that a review of Barnett’s medical records and interviews with his family showed he was suffering from “chronic stress” brought on by the lawsuit, as well as anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
Asked how he felt about the news of Barnett’s death, Calhoun replied: “heartbroken”.
He continued: “I do know that that process was taken up by the governor authorities and was looked into, and they came out with a determination that I know nobody’s satisfied with in the Barnett family, and I understand that.
“I understand why, but it did go through a process, and I know the family will take exception to that process, and I understand it.”
In a previous statement, Barnett’s family said that they hold Boeing responsible for his death, even if the company had not “pulled the trigger”.
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