New Boeing Whistleblower Claims 787 Fuselage Could Fall Apart Midflight

The Federal Aviation Administration is investigating a Boeing engineer’s claims that the company took manufacturing shortcuts on two wide-body jets, with potentially catastrophic outcomes.

Sam Salehpour went public in a New York Times story Tuesday, describing how he believes sections of the 787 Dreamliner fuselage are improperly fastened together.

Over time, the engineer warned, stress on the joints connecting the sections could accumulate, leading to sudden midflight failure of the main body of the aircraft.

“I literally saw people jumping on the pieces of the airplane to get them to align,” he told reporters on a call Tuesday. “That’s not how you build a plane.”

The quality engineer also claimed to have seen issues with the assembly of the 777, another Boeing wide-body.

Salehpour said that the company had silenced him and transferred him to another division when he attempted to escalate his concerns ― a move that he perceived as retaliatory.

An FAA spokesperson told HuffPost that regulators are “thoroughly” looking into his complaint, which Salehpour’s lawyers submitted to the agency in January. The FAA also encouraged others to speak up.

“Voluntary reporting without fear of reprisal is a critical component in aviation safety,” the agency said. “We strongly encourage everyone in the aviation industry to share information. We thoroughly investigate all reports.”

Boeing strongly denied Salehpour’s allegations.

“These claims about the structural integrity of the 787 are inaccurate,” the company told HuffPost in an emailed statement.

“The issues raised have been subject to rigorous engineering examination under FAA oversight. This analysis has validated that these issues do not present any safety concerns and the aircraft