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Written Testimony of David L. Calhoun
Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs
Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations
June 18, 2024
Chairman Blumenthal, Ranking Member Johnson, Members of the Subcommittee, thank you for inviting me to
appear before you today along with Boeing Chief Engineer, Howard McKenzie.
Before I begin my opening remarks, I would like to speak directly to those who lost loved ones on Lion Air
Flight 610 and Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302. I want to personally apologize, on behalf of everyone at Boeing.
We are deeply sorry for your losses. Nothing is more important than the safety of the people who step on board
our airplanes. Every day we seek to honor the memory of those lost through a steadfast commitment to safety
and quality.
Nearly every second, a Boeing commercial or defense product takes off and lands somewhere around the world,
making us responsible for the safety of millions of passengers and flight crews every day, including our men
and women in uniform.
Aerospace safety is built on a robust industrywide system that relies on self-disclosure, accountability, and
continuous learning. This scrutiny – to be held to the highest standard – is fundamental to why commercial
aviation is the safest mode of transportation today.
I come from this industry, and I know full well that this is an industry where we simply must get it right, every
time.
I’ve served as President and CEO of Boeing since January 2020.
I joined the aviation industry as president and CEO of GE Aircraft Engines. My introduction to aerospace safety
was after the tragic accident in 1989 of United Airlines Flight 232 in Sioux City, Iowa, due to an uncontained
engine failure. It led to sweeping changes in our industry’s safety management processes and contributed
significantly to flight safety. From this experience, I understand the gravity of Boeing’s role in upholding the
integrity of aerospace safety in our industry.
We deeply regret the impact that the Alaska Airlines Flight 1282 accident had on Alaska Airlines’ team and its
passengers, and we are grateful to the pilots and crew for safely landing the plane. We are thankful that there
were no fatalities.
From the beginning, we took responsibility and cooperated transparently with the NTSB and the FAA in their
respective investigations. In our factories and in our supply chain, we took immediate action to ensure the
specific circumstances that led to this accident would not happen again. Importantly, we went beyond to look
comprehensively at our quality and manufacturing systems.
To launch this more comprehensive look, we’ve held stand downs in our plants, we have listened to our
employees and acted on their ideas. We have brought in an independent quality expert to assess our processes.
And, we have announced our intention to re-acquire Spirit AeroSystems, the manufacturer of our fuselage.
In consideration of these inputs, Boeing developed a comprehensive safety and quality action plan with specific
metrics, which we will use to hold ourselves accountable and the FAA will use to provide the oversight
required.
