Ex-Boeing manager to testify at 737 Max
hearing as whistleblower
Ed Pierson is a former Boeing executive who says
his warnings were ignored.
·
A
former Boeing manager who
said he warned the airplane maker about problems at the company’s production facility in a Seattle suburb
will testify before Congress on
Wednesday, according to multiple reports.
BOEING CHIEF ENGINEER WHO DEFENDED
MAX JET IS RETIRINGEd Pierson, a former senior manager at Boeing,
warned the company about potential safety flaws with the 737 Max and that employees at the Renton,
Washington plant – where the plane is produced – were overworked and tired, and
making mistakes, the New York Times reported
Monday. Pierson’s warning came four months prior to a Lion Air Max jet crash
off the coast of Indonesia killing 189 people.
“Frankly
right now all my internal warning bells are going off,” Pierson said in a June
2018 email that was sent to the leader of the 737 program, the Times reported.
“And for the first time in my life, I’m sorry to say that I’m hesitant about
putting my family on a Boeing airplane.”
Pierson
also said that planes were not being built on time due to a myriad of issues,
including damaged tools and missing parts, according to the Times’ report. The
outlet also reported that Boeing executives pressured workers to finish
aircraft even without proper staffing.
The
former manager also urged Boeing executives and later the Federal Aviation
Administration and NTSB to examine conditions at the Renton facility, according
to emails obtained by NBC News.
Pierson
also recommended that the aerospace giant temporarily shut down the production
line, which the company ignored, according to NBC.
“I
cried a lot,” Pierson told NBC. “I’m mad at myself because I felt like I could
have done more.”
Months
after the Lion Air crash, another Max jet, operated by Ethiopian Airlines,
crashed killing 157 people.
Boeing has begun to
pay the victims in the deadly crashes.
"Mr.
Pierson describes concerns he raised with Boeing management about conditions on
the 737 production line in 2018, Boeing said in a statement to FOX
Business. "Boeing is deeply committed to encouraging its employees to
raise issues—particularly those that might involve safety or quality—and
provides several internal avenues for employees to do so.
"The
circumstances described by Mr. Pierson illustrate the seriousness of Boeing’s
commitment to assessing such concerns. As Mr. Pierson recounts, in
mid-2018 he was able to raise his concerns directly with the head of the 737
program, who subsequently communicated with Mr. Pierson, including in an
in-person meeting. Although Mr. Pierson did not provide specific
information or detail about any particular defect or quality issue, Boeing took
his concerns about 737 production disruption seriously. After Mr. Pierson
retired and raised this issue again in late 2018 and 2019, those concerns
received renewed scrutiny at the highest levels of the company, and were
reviewed by multiple senior executives responsible for the 737 program, including
the head of the 737 program and the head of quality for BCA. On both
occasions, company executives and senior leaders on the 737 program were made
aware of Mr. Pierson’s concerns, discussed them in detail, and took appropriate
steps to assess them."
"As
was explained to Mr. Pierson at the time, Boeing senior leadership was aware of
production challenges with the 737 line in 2018, and devoted significant
attention and resources to addressing those issues and maintaining production
quality. Boeing closely monitors production quality data, as well as other
data related to the overall health of the production system, including, and
especially, during periods of disruption. Moreover, all Boeing aircraft
are subject to rigorous inspection before they are certified, delivered, and
enter into service. Boeing also has access to data concerning the
in-service performance and reliability of the 737 fleet, and reviews such data
continuously to identify potential emergent issues."
"Importantly,
the suggestion by Mr. Pierson of a link between his concerns and the recent MAX
accidents is completely unfounded. Mr. Pierson raises issues about the
production of the 737 MAX, yet none of the authorities investigating these
accidents have found that production conditions in the 737 factory contributed
in any way to these accidents. And the suggestion of such a linkage is
inconsistent with the facts that have been reported about these
accidents. We are confident that the NTSB and other accident investigative
authorities and regulators are adequately assessing all potential causes of
these accidents over the course of their rigorous, extensive, and independent
reviews."
"Mr.
Pierson did the right thing by elevating his concerns, and the fact that he was
able to personally brief the head of the program and the company’s General
Counsel demonstrates Boeing’s commitment to safety and to hearing employee
concerns."
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