Boeing CEO Kelly Ortberg is scheduled to testify on Wednesday, April 2, 2025, before the U. S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation regarding the status of the aircraft manufacturer following many years of its safety issues including the crashes of two Boeing 737 MAX8 jets that killed 346 people in the last six years.
The hearing, chaired by Senator Ted Cruz (R-Texas), Safety First: Restoring Boeing’s Status as a Great American Manufacturer – U.S…. states that “The hearing will examine steps Boeing has taken to address production deficiencies and safety issues identified after the Alaska Airlines Flight 1282 incident last year. The hearing will examine steps Boeing has taken to address production deficiencies and safety issues identified after the Alaska Airlines Flight 1282 incident last year.” A door plug blew off of that aircraft midair, injuring dozens of passengers, causing a rapid decompression and an emergency landing in Portland on January 5, 2024.
Paul Cassell, who has been representing pro bono many crash victims’ family members in criminal court in Texas regarding Boeing’s criminal liability regarding the two MAX8 crashes, has raised some important questions that should be asked of Ortberg. In particular, he asks in his blog, “Boeing CEO Kelly Ortberg should explain whether Boeing continues to plan to plead guilty to conspiring to defraud the FAA? Or whether it will attempt to shirk its responsibility for the deadliest corporate crime in U.S. history.” To read his full blog, click here.
The hearing will be held at the Dirksen Senate Office Building, Room G-50 at 10 a.m. EST.