Exclusive: Boeing whistleblower details concerns over 787 jets

A 15-year Boeing engineer is blowing the whistle on what he says is a dangerous flaw with the 787 Dreamliner that could make the plane ‘break apart at altitude and drop to the ground.’ Sam Salehpour speaks exclusively with NBC’s Tom Costello on TODAY about the serious problem that Boeing is disputing.
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#boeing #plane #whistleblower

[@Brendonbosy]

This guys risk of “suicidal thoughts” just increased significantly

[@madisonbear4364]

hahaha

[@Sumi_S]

And he just died

[@Olivia-W]

That's a joke but also like... guy is dead. I mean, two dead whistleblowers, yeah... real subtle.

[@jacobfyock2788]

Sadly this whistleblower passed away tomorrow 🙏❤

[@mashy712]

“natural cause, a stroke”

[@j4jools292]

He 'tripped' over a kerb on his way to Congress and suffered extensive head injuries!

[@rainbowsunshinekitty3953]

Frfr

[@CasualMisinformationSpreader]

Thoughts and prayers.

[@raymondgrieger9267]

🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@G3AK-NoCopyrightMusic]

Let's see what Boeing will do with this whistleblower...

[@poppawhoppaoz2480]

better watch his back me thinks!

[@BobM.-to9ji]

This person is NOT a whistle blower, he is a disgruntled former employee. Every Boeing jet used shims to join the fuselage. The person is talking to to the uneducated conspiracy keyboard warriors who know nothing about how jet airplanes constructed.

[@Werewolf0216]

@@BobM.-to9jihe’s not a former employee, he’s still employed. There are many Boeing employees who have high ethics around quality but are disgruntled because management doesn’t care about quality but just meeting schedule and production aspirations.

[@kolerick]

as he's still working at Boeing, he may have a little work accident... like a whole reactor block falling on his head while he's inspecting something at the tail wing...

[@bobby1970]

They might make him disappear?

[@calpal9983]

There’s video from the South Carolina manufacturing facility of workers who literally build the 787 saying they would not fly on it.

[@Dizzzyyy69420]

Unfortunately he now is suicidal.

[@MackMittenzTV]

There is a reason these whistleblowers are trying to get this info out. Hopefully he gets personal security.

[@DanGamMan]

RIP, will be missed

[@Native722]

Witness protection program

[@barbarasizemore5961]

Why talk to Congress about Boeing, that's like talking to a break wall

[@bartsolari5035]

U got it!

[@soccerguy2433]

What's a break wall?

[@naefromnj6605]

@@soccerguy2433they meant brick don’t be dense

[@thewurstgarage676]

A break wall?

[@Eyob797]

Brick wall...., you do have a good point.

[@jonathanweir8467]

Make sure he doesn't stay at a Holiday Inn.

[@Luke_Go]

A "very safe airplane" that had multiple groundings and the third longest delivery stop in aviation history.....

[@flyzips1124]

That is the 737-max no 787

[@Luke_Go]

japanwatchconnection Not always flying (due to groundings and delivery stopy), has never made a profit for Boeing since 2011, and so, did anybody like being on a 787 while its battery burned?

[@Luke_Go]

​@@flyzips1124 The 787 had the third longest delivery stop in aviation history. The max had either the worst or second worst (depending on the metric.) The only airplane worse than the max and 787 is the Comet (in 1954). That's a negative record that says a lot about how lousy the 787s are.....​

[@Sm0keyX5]

​@@Luke_Goso lousy thousands of them fly daily and not a single loss. i love internet aviation experts.

[@user-tv7qy9fu3b]

Wait so now I’m scared, I’m supposed to fly to europe to visit family this summer and the planes are 787-8 and 787-9. I’ve flown on these planes and this airlines countless of times. does my situation seem ok or worrisome?

[@Maliceless100]

His final quote conveys honest concern for Boeing and passengers convincingly.

[@SingleSuccessfulMomMBA1422]

Corporate America is being bled dry by greedy, CEOs and boards. This has been the case at Boeing for decades. Money has not been reinvested into tooling and manufacturing on site, salaries for engineers and personnel has not increased but instead the executive suite and the CEO has cashed in big time. Draining corporations comes to an end when the product malfunctions and we can see that in Boeing today. It's the death of American ingenuity, American creativity, and American can-do. Ceo pay is 1000 x the average worker and Congress needs to put a stop to this. It's not only bleeding corporations dry, It's also stalling the growth of our GDP, A workers don't have money to purchase things like homes, Capital goods, or fund their retirement. The Boomer generation is the last one where most many has a decent chance of not going homeless. For everybody else, younger generations, there not much hope.

[@johnnelson4043]

This is a logical and accurate assessment of the situation and you present a possible solution clearly and articulately with no catchy yet obscure slogans. So no one will ever listen to you haha.

[@Maxdouble07]

Bro just cooked on the explanation! This is exactly what’s happening..

[@Eyob797]

You foresaw the issue. Yes the CEO's will make their usual millions and get away with. All it takes is one more crash for Boeing to become history. Boeing's years mess has now come to bite its behind BIG TIME.

[@davepennington3573]

I like how they don't mention the last whistleblower. Their bosses own Boeing stock.

[@sernoddicusthegallant6986]

Such a brave soul, Its so tragic to hear how he ended his life next week by multiple stab wounds to the head.

[@jimtrack3786]

Perhaps the 787 does match Boeing's confidence, however the fact remains Mr. Salehpaul was removed to the 777 project as a retaliatory measure and that is alarming. How does Boeing square this with their stated policy of non retaliatory action?

[@jenkins5265]

On top of that, verbal abuse, nail in his tires, manager calling him on his personal cell phone despite him having a work phone….terrible.

[@inspirewire1224]

If it's Boeing I AIN'T going!

[@AzureFlameGod1986]

Let's hope we don't get a Titanic of the skies. Neglect leads to disaster!

[@rickyalcoser6052]

Too late, the two crashes of the 737 max already made it happen one was Lyon air and don't recall the other one they nose dived into the ocean🌊.

[@mashy712]

Titanic was not a defect though. It was a good ship with great craftsmanship ahead of its time. It was the events and people that made it hit the iceberg. Also most ships stopped at the ice burgs fields during the night till morning. Titanic was one that kept sailing.

[@j4jools292]

@@rickyalcoser6052 The other was Ethiopian Airlines

[@spenofzeros]

wasn’t that the air france a330 incident?

[@j4jools292]

@@spenofzeros The two 737Max Crashes were the Lion Air crash in October 2018 and the Ethiopian Airlines crash in March 2019. All lives lost. Issues with MCAS which basically fought the pilots and made both aircraft nosedive in to the ground. An issue Boeing knew of, but they chose not to 'share' that information with the airlines that bought the planes.

[@salesguy0826]

Boeing ought to consider the gift this man just game them. A 787 breaking apart over the ocean would end their company. They have a chance to dig in here, if they opt to take it. Or they can wait for the inevitable. From a PR perspective, they can trash this guy all they want but if they have any shred of integrity, their leadership is doubling down on ensuring that plane is the safest in the sky. It's well known this company cuts corners, and rushes product to the market. Their horrific strategy on MCAS with the 737-Max was totally criminal: pilots not even aware that evil system was capable of controlling their planes. I'd encourage Boeing to get it together, and fast.

[@frankiexv4533]

737 max* and MCAS isn’t evil, it just wasn’t integrated thoroughly enough.

[@salesguy0826]

@@frankiexv4533 Yea it was. It didn't have to be. Pilots had no clue about it and were flying planes. Two horrible crashes due to bad MCAS errors killed hundreds, including the pilots. Boeing opted NOT to train pilots on MCAS when the Max rolled out as that would have required more cost. That is evil, my friend. The Justice Department settlement, which allowed Boeing to avoid prosecution, included a fine of $243.6 million, compensation to airlines of $1.77 billion, and a $500 million crash-victim fund over fraud conspiracy charges related to the plane's flawed design.

[@tapatapaz]

Well said.

[@jenkins5265]

@@frankiexv4533when you know there’s an issue with your plane, you bandaid over it, and then don’t tell pilots about the problem, yah, you have their blood on your hands. They also tried to blame the pilots when this whole thing happened.

[@FartsnShitz]

Dude looks a little "suicidal" to me.

[@DaengDaeng0128]

He is actually caring his own company! He is doing this with good reason! What a brave and thoughtful man!

[@ArcadipaneVideos]

They were fully confident in the 737MAX and then there were 2 crashes. Don't believe the hype from @boeing

[@wallochdm1]

If you don't already know, Boeing only builds the 787 in South Carolina, a plant well known for it's lack of skilled employees and resultant defects. 787's used to be built solely in Everett, Washington until a sweetheart deal from Nikki Haley enticed Boeing to retaliate against its unions and move to low-wage, Right-To-Work South Carolina. How did that work out for Boeing?

[@berkeleyfuller-lewis3442]

Gotta love that Ickly Haley has been part of this huge fustercluck. Figures.

[@csibesz07]

Why stop at Boeing, it's literally every industry, capitalism demands moving manufacturing to cheaper place with less skilled worker. Well, I guess, aviation is less forgiving.

[@Werewolf0216]

@@csibesz07yep exactly. I work for Boeing…for over 30 years. It’s not the company it once was. They think outsourcing airplane engineering and manufacturing is as simple as outsourcing making toasters and underwear. Management are idiots. They train these outsourced workers horribly. For that matter they train US workers horribly too now.

[@joshowen9054]

@@Werewolf0216 incidently, it all started after merging with greedy MD in 1997

[@jenkins5265]

Hey, Nicky loves Americans!!! She loves them so much,she’d love you to get right out of your great paying job.

[@FreshlySnipes]

Boeing saying the aircraft is safe means absolutely nothing.

[@cascade00]

What is the update on the Barnett investigation? Where are the security tapes and where are the scene photos?

[@douginorlando6260]

Instead of finding a spanner wrench left under the Boeing aircraft floor boards, RyanAir will find a missing whistleblower stuffed inside.

[@neondeon475]

but boeing hasnt lied before....right !?

[@finnellwilliam]

They don’t tolerate retaliation against whistleblowers, but they do tolerate murdering them? At least that’s what’s been guest and assumed.

[@tomcrenshaw8991]

What an exciting time to work in aviation

[@der0ng]

Loss of cheap human lives is just part of the operating cost to Boeing. Those who say 787 is still safe, remember metal fatigue failure takes time to develop. Let's see how safe the plane is few years down the road.

[@Niorky]

It's a plastic aircraft..CFRP.

[@carmeloortiz5687]

Happy Wednesday to you too. 😀

[@lgarcia67]

They also said that the 737-Max had no issue whatsoever… even after they killed close to 300 people in back-to-back crashes…

[@otlndsh]

Boeing would have also told you the 737 Max was a "very" safe aircraft to get on each time before those two crashes overseas

[@dreamthedream8929]

Well it's still very safe, that max plane. No problem flying it safety wise. Every day they fly. It's two crashes. Of course unfortunate but in general still far safer than a lot of other things in your life

[@davepennington3573]

Boeing: our airplanes are very safe and effective

[@MEdGrant]

Don't you mean "profitable"?

[@softwaresignals]

That "paper-thin gap" issue: What is the remedy then? Structural adhesive? Add smaller rivets between existing ones?

[@bgregg55]

Boeing: We are entirely dedicated to focusing on next quarters' earnings report.

[@EuropeanRailfanAlt]

Everyone thinks he's gonna die now. I don't think he's gonna die. But no one knows the future so we'll just have to wait.

[@braylonc2710]

Lol u said what?

[@bartsolari5035]

Nothing new here as to Boeing's deny and deflect. Lauda Air 004, 1991 is a classic example of Boeing's attitude. Boeing stonewalled Niki Laudi, but Mr. Lauda's tenacity with the investigation proved Boeing wrong...223 fatalities. Side note - Boeing cried foul when the USAF tanker contract was given to EADS/Northrop and eventually given to Boeing and Boeing is north of 7 Billion in cost overruns. Friends in D.C.

[@wownewstome6123]

Thanks for posting that. I didn't know about that Boeing disaster. I found some detailed accounts I will read. [Edit: using AI brought up helpful info., as much as I detest AI since it can limit our freedoms....but that's another topic!]

[@colemankilby9]

Was on a 787 Dream on a flight from Amsterdam to Atlanta, and the AC started shooting ice out of the vents all over me and other passengers just before takeoff. Not a huge deal, but never seen anything like it before.

[@jackxiao9702]

Reminds me of the submarine that imploded after structural fatigue.

[@videogameplayer0552]

If he disappears in the near future or is unalived under mysterious circumstances, we would all know what happened.

[@user-tv7qy9fu3b]

Wait so now I’m scared, I’m supposed to fly to europe to visit family this summer and the planes are 787-8 and 787-9. I’ve flown on these planes and this airlines countless of times. does my situation seem ok or worrisome?

[@cw8134]

I'm sure boeing was also fully confident in the door plug and the MCAS system......

[@mhxxd4]

Rip😔

[@Kane-ib5sn]

it is possible, stress-cracks are already present. otherwise, there's not enough information. i would assume everything is fine, therefore. in any case, airlines tend to retire their airplanes frequently.

[@Doc5thMech]

Especially those manufactured in South Carolina under the meticulous eye of business entrepreneurs in Chicago.

[@derrickmonares3865]

Well I'll be flying out on one of these next week so pray fro me please.

[@comfyrhino]

You will be okay. 787’s are safe

[@nicoleroberts6499]

I’m going on a 787-9 on Friday . I’m nervous

[@comfyrhino]

@@nicoleroberts6499 i used to be a nervous flyer but after watching videos of how they stress test planes, I can assure you planes are very safe. 787 planes are safe and always smooth to fly. The whistleblower on here doesn’t even have the datas to backup his allegations.

[@aamildeen9669]

I’m never flying a Boeing aircraft again. I’ve changed flights in the past to a different airline when I saw the route contained a MAX 8 aircraft. I will add the 787 Dreamliner to that list. Not risking my life for greedy boeing executives

[@DWoodsII]

I get where you are coming from but to be honest, with as much scrutiny Boeing is facing, I’ll be surprised if it’s a major accident happens again for a long time. A crash with lives lost and Boeing as a company is DONE

[@davidcohen2762]

​@@DWoodsII it would cost too much for them to take apart planes and fix it. Theyre just gonna sit back and pray by luck nothing goes wrong.

[@davidcohen2762]

You better add the 777 to that list as well. Roof panel fitment was so tight, workers had to jump up and down repeatedly to force them in place. Another great way to cause fatigue cracks.

[@jenkins5265]

japanwatchconnectionhow much Boeing paying you to post on the comments section?

[@geraldg3130]

OK but why are the gaps supposedly too big to begin with?

[@Werewolf0216]

Gaps have to be designed in between some parts to allow for tolerance variation. Otherwise parts won’t fit together. Gaps are analyzed and a certain size is allowed to be filled with shims then a certain amount of gap is allowed even after being filled with shims and when fasteners attach the parts, the gap is pulled up to nothing which puts a little force/stress on that join. On paper, the gap is not supposed to exceed the determined acceptable amount.

[@yanli7011]

Protect this man!

[@alanwang5066]

Safety is the top priority. Boeing's words and actions are consistent. Boeing's supervisors tells employee to follow their instructions and they will do their best to ensure his life safety.

[@joshowen9054]

i have the impression our society becomes more careless every day

[@Werewolf0216]

In some things we’ve gotten more safe but in other things more careless. We’re always dealing with imperfect humans of varying levels of competence.

[@fluoxethine]

737 Max 8 tragedy was a manslaughter 😢

[@rustinpeace9303]

One thing we do know the safety triangle is not going in Boeings favor

[@chuckmiller3401]

He is absolutely correct.

[@buixote]

Hope this guy's got a bodyguard!

[@brejaimecastillo8851]

Imagine what will happen when one does split in half.

[@themrdepies]

Gonna be crazy when these actually fall apart mid flight and they blame it on a missle

[@thatdude8464]

Rip 🪦

[@MJHW-st7dt]

Translation: Boeing STILL ain't listening

[@Clauseout]

He is very brave

[@AnotherCG]

And when the parts fall off the plans AGAIN, people are going to predictably acted shocked while ignore all the whistle blower signs.

[@MEdGrant]

....what the whistleblower says doesn't match what Boeing says..... Well, that's a bit of amazingly analytical logic!

[@SoloYolo84]

Sounds like dc10 debacle and twa800 would more likely happen again

[@deebee3174]

I’ll fly the A350 then. Thanks Boeing.

[@sdkfz2519]

This guy has no credibility. He is just a disgruntled employee. There are some 1200 Boeing 787s out there, flying day and night for 13 years, and there has not been a single fatal accident. People are so un-American, and it's sad.

[@Werewolf0216]

There’s a lot of longtime Boeing employees who sincerely care about quality but are frustrated and disgruntled because management doesn’t take it seriously. Also, the company is far from American anymore. If Boeing could have its way, they’d give all work to India for cheap. That’s what they’re trying to do.

[@keikei3301]

The whistleblower needs presidential security! He should be cautious of co2 poisoning, other types of poisoning, or so called ‘accidents’ such as vehicular accidents. Don’t leave your house, don’t let anyone near your property, don’t let anyone near you! Be sure your property cameras are working beyond your wifi network! Boeing will try to find a way to silence him. 🤐😵💀

[@stopspewinshit7878]

leave it to the media to not even get the animation right....

[@jorgecgonzalez9976]

So he's a whistleblower who doesn't have all the Data. 689 of the 1,100 have been tested severely no evidence of Fatigue, but he is absolutely sure they will fall apart. I think it's pile on time for Boeing which rest assured they brought a lot of this on themselves but it doesn't mean every plane is bad.

[@jenkins5265]

Not every plane. Just the 787s. But tbh, if a company doesn’t care about safety, buys off the FAA, retaliates against their own employees for raising safety concerns, and even after plane accidents, doesn’t seem to have changed itself, would you dare to put your family on their planes?

[@jorgecgonzalez9976]

@@jenkins5265 You don't know that your just watching the news!

[@mvp2231]

Wake up people !

[@EnamYasin-ef4hd]

❤❤❤❤❤wow🎉

[@QRedknight]

One of the companies colluding with the government. Tyson foods done cutbacks and was get high bacteria counts on their food processing machines. Plus I can’t remember the name of the bacteria but I developes around cooked food and somebody died because of if it a few years ago.

[@cascade00]

Reach out Sir if you need security, if you don't feel safe, don't feel bad about asking for security. We can work it out, rather you safe now.

[@tposeinify]

What about the two other whistleblowers that are now dead?

[@944clogue]

Can we say stock drop like these planes will....

[@rc70ys]

Who’s doing the testing ???

[@wm6746]

So Boeing think we should trust what they say?

[@Nikonhermit]

I hope his health does not suddenly deteriorate.

[@dianahd5203]

RIP, unfortunately he passed away next year…

[@cliffmathew]

I hope the inevitable breakup happens while on the ground, so people are not dead. Boeing's Muilenburg was so confident even after the Ethiopian plane went down. I don't believe the PR consultant recommended forceful denial.

[@DanMcDine]

The experiences tells us to obviously believe the whistler blower. But this is nothing new to me, years ago Al Jazera made a documentary about the B787's productions, you can find it here on youtube, no way this guy is lying.

[@rafarafina]

Boeing said that they carried out inspections and found zero evidence of fatigue. But its the same boeing that blamed the pilots on the Max crashes, said they were low standards and tried to bribed the families in Indonesia and dismissed evidence to hide their design flaws…I will believe the whistleblower

[@csibesz07]

Is FAA listening or sleeping as on Boeing inspections?

[@herceg6772]

What is FAA?

[@WiredLizard]

Our super smart management team at Boeing have come up with a new aircraft design called the 737 MAX its really fuel efficient and only has a slight chance of flying uncontrollably into the ground.

[@financialfutureactnow8392]

Keep this GOOD MAN SAFE!!!....

[@Dlee45]

Not sure what is it about him, but he has the appearance that he will accidently fall out of a window next week.

[@giggitygoo5623]

You know things are real bad when an engineer goes public - speaking as an introvert engineer

[@ggcapitano]

well, sounds like everything gonna be just fine. people, business as usual please.

[@adaryltwillie4784]

What Boeing doesn't understand is that they've lost the benefit of doubt.

[@lly0005]

He needs to say out in public that he isn’t su1cidal and doesn’t want to commit su1cide

[@JohnW9012]

They better make sure that this whistleblower does not commit "suicide" like the other whistleblower.

[@jhernandez125]

This sounds like another billion implosion situation

[@danielking104]

Another don't look up moment.

[@JasonB808]

Begs the question, why didn’t he come out with this information in 2022? Anyone flying overseas can’t avoid the 787. Many airlines use 787 for long haul flights.

[@jenkins5265]

Most likely bc they thought something would change after Boeing planes literally fell out of the skies.

[@mohsinahmed7569]

Help poses

[@bingbong9076]

Boeing has no credibility, we have seen what their quality control leads to. This will cost lives.

[@Maxdouble07]

To risk his life as a Boeing whistle blower he’s probably right and on to something. Protect him at all cost

[@oumski6893]

😊😊😊

[@sen5908]

If you have to listen to actual facts, they have never lost a 787, and I would think that's the main bit you need to focus on

[@danielsuarez8647]

Is this the second guy who died ?

[@vincentschulz5776]

No, that was another one. Afaik he's the only whistleblower left by now