A Boeing engineer turned whistleblower says the planemaker needs ground all its 787 Dreamliners

A Boeing 787 Dreamliner. ROSLAN RAHMAN/AFP via Getty Images

• Whistleblower Sam Salehpour’s concerns about the Boeing 787 and 777 were first made public last week.
• Salehpour, a quality engineer, told NBC on Tuesday he believes all 787 Dreamliners should be grounded.
• He added that he wouldn’t put his own family on the planemaker’s flagship widebody jet.

A Boeing whistleblower said he believes all 787 Dreamliners should be grounded in an interview that aired Tuesday on NBC’s “Nightly News with Lester Holt.”

It was Sam Salehpour’s first on-camera interview since his allegations were made public last week. He says that parts of the Boeing 787 and 777 were misaligned during production, posing safety threats.

Sam Salehpour, who has worked for Boeing for over a decade as a quality engineer, said he observed “shortcuts employed by Boeing to reduce bottlenecks during the 787 assembly process.”

This could “significantly” reduce the lifespan of the plane due to metal fatigue and cause an accident, he added.

The 787 is Boeing’s flagship widebody jet, which first entered service in 2011. About 1,100 have since been delivered to airlines around the world.

Asked by the NBC reporter whether Boeing should ground all the Dreamliners, Salehpour said: “I would say they need to.”

“The entire fleet worldwide, as far as I’m concerned, right now, needs attention,” he added.

He also said that he wouldn’t put his own family on a Boeing 787.

Salehpour is expected to testify in front of the Senate on Wednesday.

When contacted by Business Insider about Salehpour’s comments, Boeing said it was “fully confident in the 787 Dreamliner.”

“These claims about the structural integrity of the 787 are inaccurate and do not represent the comprehensive work Boeing has done to ensure the quality and long-term safety of the aircraft,” it said.

“The issues raised have been subject to rigorous engineering examination under FAA oversight. This analysis has validated that these issues do not present any safety concerns and the aircraft will maintain its service life over several decades. We continue to monitor these issues under established regulatory protocols and encourage all employees to speak up when issues arise. Retaliation is strictly prohibited at Boeing.”

Salehpour’s comments come after another Boeing whistleblower raised his concerns about the 787. John Barnett was found dead with a “self-inflicted wound” last month, days after he started giving a deposition in a legal case against Boeing.

Ed Pierson, a former Boeing manager who worked on the narrowbody 737, told Business Insider he urged Alaska Airlines to ground its jets months before January’s blowout.

If you enjoyed this story, be sure to follow Business Insider on Microsoft Start.