Whistleblower says Boeing should stop production of 787 Dreamliner due to safety issue

Boeing whistleblower says company should stop production of 787 Dreamliner due to safety issue

Sam Salehpour is scheduled to testify before Congress on Wednesday. Boeing says the plane is…

NBC News

By Tom Costello and Lewis Kamb

Sam Salehpour is scheduled to testify before Congress on Wednesday. Boeing says the plane is structurally sound.

A Boeing engineer-turned-whistleblower who contends that the aerospace giant’s 787 Dreamliner is unsafe to fly due to assembly flaws doubled down on his claims Tuesday, saying that the plane could fall apart and “drop to the ground” midflight unless the alleged safety problems are addressed.

Boeing disputed the claims on Tuesday, saying the plane is safe and the company is “fully confident in the 787 Dreamliner.”

Boeing quality engineer Sam Salehpour spoke to “NBC Nightly News” in his first on-camera interview since raising his allegations publicly last week. He said the company has yet to properly address tiny nonconforming gaps found in multiple planes after two sections of their fuselages were joined together during assembly. Salehpour said such “safety issues” could lead to catastrophic outcomes.

When asked if he would put his own family on a 787 right now, Salehpour didn’t hesitate. “Right now, I would not,” he said.

Salehpour is expected to testify before a U.S. Senate subcommittee Wednesday.

Current Boeing engineer Sam Salehpour, who has been with Boeing over 15 years (on staff and also as a contractor) tells Tom Costello in an exclusive interview that he became alarmed — *Engineer Sam Salehpour, who has worked for Boeing for 15 years, speaks with Tom Costello in an exclusive interview. NBC News*

The allegations have emerged as Boeing continues to reel from the fallout of a midflight blowout of a door panel from a recently built 737 Max 9 during a crowded Alaska Airlines flight on Jan. 5. That incident has led to intense scrutiny of the company’s manufacturing processes and prompted Boeing CEO Dave Calhoun to announce he will step down as the company’s top official.

In a statement, Boeing said, “These claims about the structural integrity of the 787 are inaccurate. The issues raised have been subject to rigorous engineering examination under FAA oversight…