(NewsNation) — Lawmakers on Tuesday began their questioning of Boeing CEO David Calhoun about plans to fix manufacturing issues on the heels of a 204-page report laying out new whistleblower allegations.
Relatives of people who died in two Boeing 737 Max jetliners crashes were present in the room as the line of questioning grew heated. Calhoun addressed the famlies to apologize, but lawmakers, including U.S. Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Minn., drilled down. Hawley went as far to say it was a “tragedy” the CEO still had his job.
“I’m proud of having taken the job…” Calhoun replied. “And I am very proud of our Boeing people.”
The CEO is expected to step down by the end of the year as part of a broader management shakeup, Reuters reported.
“You’re the problem,” Hawley said later. “And I just hope to God you don’t destroy this company before it can be saved.”
The hearing marked the first appearance a high-ranking Boeing official has made before Congress since a panel blew out of a 737 Max during an Alaska Airlines flight in January. No one was seriously injured in the incident, but it raised fresh concerns about the company’s best-selling commercial aircraft.
The Senate investigations subcommittee released the report hours before Calhoun was set to appear. It includes allegations from Sam Mohawk, a quality assurance investigator at a 737 assembly plant near Seattle. According to Mohwak, Boeing has used “nonconforming” parts in its 737 Max Jets build. Mohawk says the company hid evidence of the situation after it learned more than a year ago that the Federal Aviation Administration would inspect the plant, the Associated Press reported.
The company has encountered a series of safety issues in the past year, starting in January when a door plug flew off an Alaska Airline plane. Later that month, a Boeing 747 was traveling to Luis Muñoz Marin International Airport in Puerto Rico when the crew reported an engine failure.
In April, a whistleblower who said all Boeing 787 Dreamliner jets should be grounded testified that no one listened when he previously brought up safety concerns to the aerospace company.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.