MORNING NEWSBREAK  |  Federal lawmakers and whistleblowers described a culture of putting profits ahead of safety at Boeing in a pair of April 17 U.S. Senate hearings, one of which focused on the Boeing 787 Dreamliner made in North Charleston.

The hearings followed several recent safety issues with the company’s commercial jets, including a door-plug panel that blew off an Alaska Airlines 737 MAx during a flight in January. 

“Boeing is at a moment of reckoning,” said U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Connecticut, who chairs the investigations arm of the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs. He said the root of the safety problems is “100% about money.”

Boeing engineer Sam Salehpour of Virginia testified before Blumenthal’s committee that Boeing production shortcuts could potentially lead to planes breaking apart during flights, adding that details “the size of a human hair can be a matter of life and death.”  Salehpour told lawmakers he believed the “entire fleet” of 787s should be grounded until full inspections could be made. 

But Boeing has said repeated testing showed no problems. Neither Boeing CEO Dave Calhoun nor other senior company executives attended the hearings. The planemaker held a detailed technical briefing Monday at its 787 Dreamliner campus in North Charleston to defend its safety record.

“In 13 years of service, the global 787 fleet has safely transported more than 850 million passengers on more than 4.2 million flights,” Boeing said in a written statement to The Post and Courier. “A 787 can safely operate for at least 30 years before needing expanded airframe maintenance routines.”

Boeing is facing separate investigations by the FAA, the Justice Department and the National Transportation Safety Board. It was suggested Wednesday that the government could revisit a 2021 agreement that allowed Boeing to avoid criminal prosecution on a charge of misleading regulators about the 737 Max. 

In other headlines of note:

CP NEWS: Where to celebrate 4/20 this year in Charleston. The Charleston City Paper has collected several events, parties, dinners and other opportunities to celebrate the 2024 holidaze.

GUN VIOLENCE: Man found dead in North Charleston with apparent gunshot wound. Kenneth Jones, 44, died from a gunshot wound, which happened on the 2200 block of Meeting Street in North Charleston this week, police said. Meanwhile, a 21-year-old woman was charged with attempted murder in a separate North Charleston shooting. 

Lawsuit filed against SCDOT, Folly Beach over pedestrian death. The daughter of a pedestrian killed by a Folly Beach police car on the Septima P. Clark Parkway in 2023 is suing the S.C. Department of Transportation (SCDOT) and the City of Folly Beach, calling the roadway a “killing machine.”  

Thunderbirds’ aerobatic stunts to headline Charleston Airshow. The Charleston Airshow on April 20 and 21 is inviting spectators to watch the Thunderbirds complete exhilarating formations as part of the three hours of aviation.

Charleston County launches 5-year review of comprehensive plan. Charleston County Council is using community feedback to make changes for the county’s future.

Charleston historic site, cemetery updates findings after 2-year study. McLeod Plantation Historic Site and the Charleston County Parks and Recreation Commission want to find family members linked to the remains in a Lowcountry cemetery.

Cogswell taps former mayoral opponent Shahid for judicial spot. Charleston Mayor William Cogswell has recommended former city councilman and mayoral candidate Peter Shahid to the bench of Charleston’s municipal court.  Earlier this year, Cogswell also appointed two other mayoral opponents who later endorsed him to administration jobs.

S.C. water bills could rise under ‘long overdue’ federal regulations on ‘forever chemicals.’ About half of South Carolina’s drinking water systems will likely be on the hook for expensive solutions to filter out “forever chemicals” under a new federal regulation that environmental advocates called a win for clean water.

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