Boeing CEO David Calhoun testifies before Congress, apologizes to families

Jun 18

Lauren Taylor Anchor

By Lauren Taylor (Anchor), Evan Hummel (Producer), Emma Stoltzfus (Video Editor)

Boeing has faced criticism following reports of planes being unfit for flight and federal investigations into safety practices. On Tuesday, June 18, the company faced another moment of criticism as CEO David Calhoun testified before Congress on his company’s plan to fix the problems that have plagued the aero giant.

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Before he addressed his critics in the Senate, Calhoun first addressed the families of some of the hundreds of victims who died in a pair of Boeing 737 Max Air Jetliner crashes in 2018 and 2019.

Calhoun apologized to the victims on behalf of “Boeing associates both past and present” and for “the grief that we have caused.”

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Calhoun added that the company is “totally committed” to focusing on safety “for as long as we’re employed by Boeing.”

Before Calhoun’s testimony, victims’ families stood outside of Congress, demanding Boeing be held accountable for the 346 deaths as a result of the two Boeing crashes.

Clariss Moore, whose daughter died in the 2019 crash, said that she wanted Boeing to be “held accountable for murdering 346 lives.”

Nadia Milleron, whose daughter was also killed in one of the crashes, said, “The reason that we are still coming out to protest and speak up is because Boeing has not improved its safety.”

Calhoun vowed to improve safety during his remarks to Congress. He called his company “far from perfect” and promised to fix the manufacturing issues plaguing the company.

On May 30, Boeing unveiled a quality improvement plan to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to fix “systemic quality-control issues.”

Hours before Calhoun testified, the Senate panel released a report with new allegations from a Boeing whistleblower. The whistleblower claims that the company hid non-conforming parts at a 737-assembly plant in Seattle after the FAA said it would be inspecting the facility.

Senators said that the accusations “paint a troubling picture of a company that prioritizes speed of manufacturing over ensuring the quality and safety of an aircraft.”

Calhoun is the first high-ranking Boeing official to appear before Congress since a panel flew off of an Alaska Airlines flight in January. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) said that four key bolts were missing from the planes, which led to the mid-air accident.

Tags: Airlines, Boeing, Federal Aviation Administration, U.S. Congress, U.S. Senate

[LAUREN TAYLOR]

PLAGUED BY REPORTS OF PLANES NOT FIT FOR FLIGHT AND INVESTIGATIONS INTO SAFETY PRACTICES, BOEING CEO DAVID CALHOUN FACED PERHAPS HIS TOUGHEST CHALLENGE YET.

ADDRESSING FAMILIES OF SOME OF THE HUNDREDS WHO DIED IN A PAIR OF BOEING 737 MAX AIR JETLINER CRASHES IN 2018 AND 2019

AND THEN TURNING TO FACE LAWMAKERS SET TO PRESS HIM IN CONGRESSIONAL TESTIMONY.

[DAVID CALHOUN]

“I WOULD LIKE TO APOLOGIZE ON BEHALF OF ALL OF OUR BOEING ASSOCIATES SPREAD THROUGHOUT THE WORLD PAST AND PRESENT FOR YOUR LOSSES. WE APOLOGIZE FOR THE GRIEF THAT WE HAVE CAUSED. WE WANT YOU TO KNOW THAT WE ARE TOTALLY COMMITTED IN REGARD TO A FOCUS ON SAFETY FOR AS LONG AS WE’RE EMPLOYED BY BOEING. AGAIN, I’M SORRY.”

BEFORE THE TESTIMONY, THOSE FAMILIES STOOD OUTSIDE CONGRESS– DEMANDING BOEING BE HELD ACCOUNTABLE.

[CLARISS MOORE]

SO, CALHOUN, BOEING, CEO, MANAGEMENT, DID YOU HEAR MY DAUGHTER CRY? I WANT THEM TO ANSWER AND GIVE US THE CONSPIRACY. AND WANT THEM TO BE HELD ACCOUNTABLE FOR MURDERING 346 LIVES.

[NADIA MILLERON]

THE REASON THAT WE ARE STILL COMING OUT TO PROTEST AND SPEAK UP IS BECAUSE BOEING HAS NOT IMPROVED ITS SAFETY. EVEN SINCE FIVE YEARS AGO, EVEN SIX AND SEVEN YEARS AGO. THEY KNEW ABOUT A LOT OF PROBLEMS WITH MANUFACTURING AND THEY DIDN’T IMPROVE IT.”

[LAUREN TAYLOR]

CALHOUN VOWED TO CHANGE THAT DURING HIS REMARKS TO CONGRESS.

CALLING HIS COMPANY “FAR FROM PERFECT” BUT PROMISING TO FIX MANUFACTURING ISSUES.

LAST MONTH, BOEING UNVEILED A QUALITY IMPROVEMENT PLAN TO THE F-A-A TO FIX “SYSTEMIC QUALITY-CONTROL ISSUES.”.

HOURS BEFORE CALHOUN TESTIFIED– THE SENATE PANEL RELEASED A REPORT WITH NEW ALLEGATIONS FROM A BOEING WHISTLEBLOWER, CLAIMING THE COMPANY HID NON-CONFORMING PARTS AT A 737 ASSEMBLY PLANT IN SEATTLE AFTER THE F-A-A- SAID IT WOULD INSPECT THE FACILITY.

SENATORS SAYING THE ACCUSATIONS “PAINT A TROUBLING PICTURE OF A COMPANY THAT PRIORITIZES SPEED OF MANUFACTURING OVER ENSURING THE QUALITY AND SAFETY OF AN AIRCRAFT.”

CALHOUN IS THE FIRST HIGH-RANKING BOEING OFFICIAL TO APPEAR BEFORE CONGRESS SINCE A PANEL FLEW OFF OF AN ALASKA AIRLINES FLIGHT IN JANUARY.

THE N-T-S-B SAID FOUR KEY BOLTS WERE MISSING FROM THE PLANE– LEADING TO THE MID-AIR CHAOS.

THIS IS A STORY WE’VE BEEN FOLLOWING SINCE BEFORE THE ALASKAN AIRLINES INCIDENT– SO FOR THE LATEST UPDATES AND UNBIASED-STRAIGHT FACTS– DOWNLOAD THE STRAIGHT ARROW NEWS APP.