(NewsNation) — A former Boeing senior manager who is one of nearly a dozen whistleblowers to come forward says the aircraft manufacturer faces a turning point as the Federal Aviation Administration conducts an investigation into allegations of uncompleted inspections and whether company officials falsified records on certain 787 aircraft.
Ed Pierson, the executive director of The Foundation For Aviation Safety, said Tuesday during an appearance on NewsNation’s “Morning In America” that Boeing must decide whether quantity or quality is most important to a company that has faced myriad issues in recent months. Recent incidents involving Boeing aircraft led the company’s CEO to resign in March.
The FAA recently issued a statement saying that Boeing officials recently voluntarily informed the federal agency that it may not have completed the required inspections on some of its aircraft and that inspection records may have been falsified by company officials.
Pierson said Tuesday that he is “somewhat” encouraged to hear that the company admitted what it did but said that Boeing officials knew the FAA’s findings could signal “bad news for the company.”
Pierson said he expects the FAA probe to determine whether individuals within the company faced undue pressure from senior officials to make “a very poor decision” to falsify records.
“Every time there’s an investigation, there’s hope there will be tangible results,” Pierson told NewsNation. “I think the company is beat up and bruised enough to know that they need to do the right thing.”
Pierson said that although he trusts Boeing employees, he has felt for a while now that the company’s senior leadership has been failing the airline manufacturer’s employees. He said he hopes the FAA investigations into the inner workings of the company provide top officials the opportunity to take a pause and reflect on what the company is doing.
He also said that moving forward, regulators from agencies like the FAA and National Transportation Safety Board must have more of a presence as aircraft are being built to ensure that proper steps are being taken.
Pierson said that currently, regulators’ presence during Boeing manufacturing is “light if at all,” making it possible for safety measures to fall between the cracks. In the meantime, though, Pierson said employees who witness things that raise concern should feel empowered to speak up without fear of retribution.
“We shouldn’t have to rely on whistleblowers to provide the truth,” Pierson said.
