米ＦＡＡ、ボーイング「７８７」の安全性めぐり調査 内部告発受け

【ニューヨークＡＦＰ＝時事】航空機大手ボーイングの旅客機「７８７ドリームライナー」の組み立て工程に問題があるとする内部告発を受け、米連邦航空局（ＦＡＡ）が調査に乗り出した。当局者が９日、明らかにした。（写真は、米航空宇宙大手ボーイングの７８７型機ドリームライナーの生産風景。米サウスカロライナ州にある同社のノースチャールストン工場で）
　内部告発に踏み切ったのは同社で１０年以上勤務しているサム・サレプール氏。同氏の弁護団が公開したＦＡＡの文書によると、７８７型機の組み立て工程が一部「短縮」されたことで部品が早期に「疲労破壊」を起こす可能性があり、「破滅的な事故」につながる恐れもあるなどと同氏は警告した。
　弁護団は、ボーイングが安全より利益を優先していると非難。また、内部告発を受け、サレプール氏を「７７７」型機部門へと強制的に異動させる報復人事が行われたと主張している。
　これに対しボーイングは、７８７型機には「揺るぎない自信」があるとするとともに、報復人事を否定した。
　上院の国土安全保障・政府活動委員会のメンバー、リチャード・ブルーメンソール議員の報道業務担当者によれば、上院調査委員会は１７日、７８７型機の安全性をめぐる公聴会を開催する予定。【翻訳編集ＡＦＰＢＢＮｅｗｓ】
〔ＡＦＰ＝時事〕（2024/04/10-19:22）

Federal aviation authorities are investigating claims by a Boeing engineer that the 787 Dreamliner suffers from assembly defects that threaten safety, US officials said Tuesday.
Attorneys for the whistleblower, Sam Salehpour, accuse the company of putting profit over safety -- and retaliating against him after he raised concerns by involuntarily transferring him to the 777 program.
At the 777 program, he raised more issues, for which his attorneys say he was threatened with termination.
The Federal Aviation Administration confirmed the investigation after the claims were outlined in a New York Times article describing charges from Salehpour, who has been at Boeing more than 10 years.
Rather than heeding his warnings, Boeing prioritized getting the planes to market as quickly as possible, despite the known, well-substantiated issues Mr. Salehpour raised, said attorneys Debra Katz and Lisa Banks, who pointed to critical defects on nearly 1,500 Boeing planes.
Boeing, which has been under scrutiny following recent safety problems, released a detailed defense of the aircraft, saying it is fully confident in the Dreamliner and denying charges it retaliated against the worker.
A Senate investigative committee has scheduled a hearing for April 17 titled Examining Boeing's Broken Safety Culture: Firsthand Accounts, said a spokesperson for Democratic Senator Richard Blumenthal.
Voluntary reporting without fear of reprisal is a critical component in aviation safety, the FAA said.
- Fewer plane deliveries -
Salehpour has pointed to shortcuts in Boeing's assembly processes leading to excessively large gaps between different plane parts that could ultimately cause a premature fatigue failure without any warning, thus creating unsafe conditions for the aircraft with potentially catastrophic accidents, according to an FAA complaint released by Salehpour's attorneys.
Our client's concerns about the 'schedule over safety' culture at Boeing has been made all the more urgent as a result of the recent incidents involving defects in Boeing's 737 MAX 9 airplanes, the complaint said.
In its statement, Boeing said the issues raised by the critic have been subject to rigorous engineering examination under FAA oversight, adding that retaliation is strictly prohibited at the company.
The manufacturer also said that accusations relating to the 777 were inaccurate.
Boeing said it incorporated join verification into production processes after slowing output and halting deliveries for nearly two years in response to employees who identified conformance issues on the 787.
For the in-service fleet, comprehensive Boeing and FAA analysis determined there is no near-term safety of flight concern, the plane maker said. Based on the analysis and any future inspection, the 787 will maintain its strength, durability and service life.
The whistleblower allegation comes on the heels of a January Alaska Airlines 737 MAX 9 flight that made an emergency landing after a fuselage panel blew out mid-flight.
In the wake of that incident, the FAA has frozen Boeing's MAX production output, while insisting the plane maker demonstrate improvement in operations and quality control. Boeing announced a leadership shakeup last month that includes the planned departure of CEO Dave Calhoun at the end of 2024.
Earlier Tuesday, Boeing reported sharply lower first-quarter plane deliveries. Company officials have pointed to production halts as part of enhanced safety actions following the January Alaska Airlines incident.
In the first quarter, Boeing delivered 83 commercial jets, down 36 percent from the year-ago period.
Shares of Boeing fell 1.9 percent.