In a room filled with families of crash victims, Boeing’s CEO appeared before senators for questioning.
Dave Calhoun faced Congress for the first time since a door plug incident on a 737 Max 9 in January.
Addressing relatives of the two crashes involving Boeing 737 Max 8’s in 2018 and 2019, Calhoun offered his apologies.
“I apologize for the grief that we have caused,” he stated.
During the hearing, Calhoun took responsibility for the two crashes, attributing them to design flaws in the MCAS system and Boeing’s negligence, resulting in the deaths of 346 individuals.
Senator Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut opened the hearing, describing it as a “moment of reckoning” and characterizing Boeing as a company that had “lost its way.”
“We learned that these tragedies were the result of deliberate decisions to prioritize production speed over safety and profits,” Blumenthal remarked.
Calhoun defended Boeing’s efforts to address engineering flaws and prevent manufacturing errors like the door plug incident from reoccurring.
“While our culture is not perfect, we are taking steps and making progress. We acknowledge the seriousness of the situation and are dedicated to moving forward with transparency and accountability,” Calhoun assured.
Senator Josh Hawley of Missouri posed intense questions, challenging Calhoun on his substantial salary of $32.8 million.
Hours before, the Senate released a report containing allegations from a whistleblower, Sam Mohawk, who accused Boeing of using unauthorized parts and concealing it from regulators.
Mohawk, a quality assurance investigator at the Renton, Washington 737 plant, claimed that Boeing implemented defective parts without proper documentation and suppressed evidence from the FAA.
Calhoun acknowledged instances of retaliation against whistleblowers and admitted that some individuals were terminated or disciplined as a result.
The Justice Department is currently reviewing whether to prosecute Boeing for violating the terms of a settlement related to crashes in Indonesia and Ethiopia.
Prior to the hearing, families of crash victims spoke to the press, demanding accountability and criminal charges against Boeing.
Prosecutors have until July 7 to determine their course of action.
