Boeing CEO blasted during Senate hearing, apologizes for 'grief we have caused'

June 18 (UPI) -- Outgoing Boeing Chief Executive Officer Dave Calhoun faced sharp bipartisan criticism Tuesday during a hearing on Capitol Hill, where he told lawmakers he was there to "take responsibility" for safety lapses at Boeing and to apologize to the families of those killed in 737 Max crashes.

"I would like to apologize on behalf of all of our Boeing associates spread throughout the world -- past and present -- for their losses," Calhoun told the family members who attended the hearing.

"I apologize for the grief we have caused," he added. "We are focused on safety."

Family members held photos of their loved ones, who were killed in the 2018 Lion Air crash off Indonesia and the Ethiopian Airlines crash near Addis Ababa in 2019, as lawmakers slammed Boeing's safety standards and Calhoun's leadership in testimony before the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations.

"Mr. Calhoun, you were brought in to turn this company around," said Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn. "But instead of asking what has caused Boeing's safety culture to erode, you and your colleagues in the C-suite have deflected blame, looked the other way and catered to your shareholders instead."

Calhoun, who has said he will retire as Boeing's chief executive officer by the end of the year, was blasted for failing to resign and collecting a 45% pay raise after the door plug on a 737 Max 9 blew off during an Alaska Airlines flight in January.

"If safety is a component of your $33 million compensation package, how can you qualify for any of this?" Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., demanded to know. "I think the truth is, Mr. Calhoun, you're not focused on safety, you're not focused on quality, you're not focused on transparency."

"I think it's a travesty that you are still in your job," Hawley added. "It's working out great for you. For the American people, they're in danger; for your workers, they're in peril; for your whistleblowers, they literally fear for their lives; but you're getting compensated like never before."

Calhoun admitted that Boeing has retaliated against whistleblowers, saying "I know it happens," but said he did not have the numbers on how many employees Boeing has fired. Blumenthal said his staff has spoken to more than two dozen whistleblowers.

Hours before Tuesday's hearing, another Boeing whistleblower stepped forward. Blumenthal's office identified him as Sam Mohawk, a quality assurance inspector at Boeing's Renton facility in Washington state. Mohawk claims the company failed to track faulty parts, which were likely installed on airplanes.

"Mohawk has also alleged that he has been told by his supervisors to conceal evidence from the FAA, and that he is being retaliated against as a result," according to a statement from the Senate Homeland Security's Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, which is investigating the claims.

"This is a culture that continues to prioritize profits, push limits and disregard its workers. A culture where those who speak up are silenced and sidelined while blame is pushed down to the factory floor" Blumenthal said in a statement. "A culture that enables retaliation against those who do not submit to the bottom line. A culture that desperately needs to be repaired."

Boeing said it also received the complaint and is reviewing the claims.

"We continuously encourage employees to report all concerns as our priority is to ensure the safety of our airplanes and the flying public," Boeing said in a statement.

In March, Boeing whistleblower John Barnett was found dead, of what a medical examiner called a self-inflicted gunshot, following questioning during his defamation lawsuit against the company for overworking employees in a rush to get jets through the production line.

Blumenthal said before Barnett died, his supervisor called him 20 times a day and said, "I'm going to push you until you break."

"He broke," Blumenthal added.

Another whistleblower, Boeing engineer Sam Salephour, told lawmakers in April that he was transferred to work on a different plane after he raised concerns about Boeing's 787 Dreamliner, warning parts of the aircraft's fuselage could break apart because they had been fastened together improperly.

"Our culture is far from perfect, but we are taking action and making progress," Calhoun said in prepared remarks Tuesday. "We understand the gravity, and we are committed to moving forward with transparency and accountability, while elevating employee engagement."

After Tuesday's hearing, family members of those killed in the Boeing 737 Max crashes expressed their outrage over Calhoun's testimony.

"What is justice? What is accountability? They should be in jail," Clariss Moore -- mother of Danielle Moore, who died in the Ethiopia crash in 2019 -- told CNN.

Other family members also called for criminal prosecution, as the Justice Department continues its investigation into Boeing and its safety practices.

"The Department of Justice will conclude this investigation to make its independent decision about whether to prosecute," Blumenthal said. "But for Boeing, regardless of that decision, it is a moment of reckoning and an opportunity to change a broken safety culture."