Boeing CEO apologises to crash victims' families, admits flawed culture in Senate hearing

Boeing's CEO, David Calhoun, on Tuesday (June 18) faced tough questions from a US congressional panel. At the Senate hearing, Calhoun apologised to the families of the victims of the 737 MAX crashes in 2018 and 2019 and admitted that his company's culture was flawed but insisted on ongoing improvements in safety.

"Our culture is far from perfect, but we are taking action and making progress," said the Boeing CEO.

He also admitted to retaliation against whistleblowers and said, "I know it happens," but failed to answerif Boeing fired any of its employees who retaliated against whistleblowers.

'Boeing's Broken Safety Culture' hearing

This was Calhoun's first testimony since a January incident where a 737 MAX made an emergency landing due to a fuselage panel blowing out.

The hearing, an examination of "Boeing's Broken Safety Culture," followed an April session where a Boeing engineer spoke about being punished for raising safety concerns about the 787 Dreamliner and 777 models.

At the hearing, the senate committee revealed additional worker complaints, including a whistleblower's warning that Boeing's use of damaged or inadequate parts could "lead to a catastrophic event".

Senator Richard Blumenthal, who led the committee, stressed the need for a major overhaul in Boeing's safety culture and said that the company stands "at a moment of reckoning and an opportunity to change a broken safety culture."

There "is near overwhelming evidence… that prosecution should be pursued," he said, vowing to keep up oversight of the company.

During the hearing, it was revealed that a new whistleblower, Sam Mohawk, has alleged that Boeing hid improperly stored parts from federal inspectors to avoid extra costs.

Aggressive questioning

Calhoun faced aggressive questioning, particularly from Senator Josh Hawley, who criticised his $33 million pay and suggested he should resign.

"You're the problem," Hawley told Calhoun, as reported by AFP.

"And I just hope to God that you don't destroy this company before it can be saved," he added.

Calhoun revealed that he was planning to step down at the end of 2024.

The hearing included emotional statements from crash victims' families, calling for criminal charges against Boeing executives, including Calhoun.

Boeing CEO Calhoun is a "mass killer," said Adnaan Stumo, who lost his sister Nadia Milleron in the Ethiopian Airlines crash.

"There needs to be criminal charges for the people at the top."

Erin Applebaum, representing the 34 affected families, urged the Department of Justice to take Calhoun's words about accountability seriously and pursue charges against Boeing's top executives.

"The US Department of Justice should take Mr. Calhoun's words to heart and move forward with criminal charges against Boeing executives — starting with the CEO himself," he said.

(With inputs from agencies)