Boeing's chief executive David Calhoun faced questions from US lawmakers over the company’s safety and quality control
The aircraft manufacturer has been in the spotlight after a door blew off a 737 Max shortly after takeoff in January
Calhoun apologised to the families of those who died when two 737 Max aircraft crashed in separate, but almost identical accidents, killing 346 people
Victims' families were at the hearing and yelled at Calhoun while holding photos of their loved ones
A Boeing engineer previously told a Senate sub-committee that he was harassed and threatened after he raised concerns about the safety of the company’s planes
Calhoun admits Boeing's culture is "far from perfect, but we are taking action"
Caitlin Wilson
Reporting from Capitol Hill
Senator Laphonza Butler is asking Dave Calhoun about Boeing's plan to improve safety quality and how much more a more highly skilled workforce will cost.
Calhoun says the company is spending more than $1 billion on training employees, along with "many many many more hours".
And "the more skills they accumulate, the better they'll be paid," Calhoun says.
Republican Senator Josh Hawley asks Boeing's Dave Calhoun about his salary.
"What is it exactly that you're paid to do?" Hawley asks, accusing Calhoun and Boeing of "cutting corners" in order to maximise profits.
In May, we reported that Boeing shareholders had signed off a 2023 pay package worth nearly $33m (£25m) for Calhoun.
Calhoun responds to the question that he is paid to run the Boeing company.
A spate of recent flying incidents has stoked the fears about Boeing. Those include extreme turbulence and an engine cover falling off.
CEO Dave Calhoun says the only one that he's aware of that is related to a manufacturing defect is the Alaska Airlines incident that sparked the scrutiny.
"I'm not aware of any others that were," he says.
Caitlin Wilson
Reporting from Capitol Hill
Josh Hawley asks Dave Calhoun: "Why haven't you resigned?"
Calhoun, who announced he would step down at the end of the year, says he is proud of Boeing's record on his watch.
During this exchange, victims' family members again stand up and display large posters of pictures of their family members.
Senator Josh Hawley and Boeing CEO Davie Calhoun just had a tense exchange.
It started when Hawley raised a series of issues and Calhoun replied he "didn't recognise" the Boeing company Hawley was describing.
"You don't recoginse the Boeing that has airplanes falling out of the sky, that has had two Maxes crash, that has had pieces of door fall out of the sky... whistleblowers who sat right where you are sat... they have said that they are not listened, to that they are retaliated against," Hawley angrily responds.
"Under your leadership, that's what Boeing is... you're being rewarded for it handsomely."
"I stand by what I said... that is not the way we operate," Calhoun says.
"I am proud of every action we have taken."
Caitlin Wilson
Reporting from Capitol Hill
Image source, Getty ImagesAs members of the Senate sub-committee continue their grilling of Boeing CEO Dave Calhoun, family members of victims who perished in the 2018 and 2019 crashes are listening intently.
Many of them who held up pictures of their loved ones just before the hearing are seated right behind Calhoun, meaning they don't have a clear view of his face.
But the microphone set up at the witness table means they can hear him loud and clear.
Dave Calhoun got the question he wanted from Senator Ron Johnson, asking about how the layoffs and worker turnover that hit the industry after Covid have contributed to the manufacturing issues plaguing the company.
Calhoun has praised Boeing's workforce but now says: "So much of this is related to an untrained workforce. It's all about that honestly".
In the plan Boeing presented to regulators last month, one of the promises it made was to improve and increase training for its staff.
Caitlin Wilson
Reporting from Capitol Hill
Senator Maggie Hassan says many Americans are "nervous" to fly on Boeing planes.
She asks Dave Calhoun how Boeing is going to fix this "remarkable failure".
Calhoun says it's not acceptable for even one unsafe airplane to leave a Boeing factory.
"You aren't answering the question about what the root causes (of the safety problems) are here," Hassan pushes back.
How can you make sure safety and quality is "your product instead of your words", she asks.
Caitlin Wilson
Reporting from Capitol Hill
Image source, Getty ImagesThis sub-committee is posing their questions in seven-minute rounds per lawmaker.
After Richard Blumenthal's time is up, Ron Johnson takes his turn. He asks Beoing CEO Dave Calhoun whether he has spoken to any whistleblowers himself.
Calhoun says he has not.
Senator Johnson responds that maybe this is something he should rectify.
Senator Blumenthal says Boeing delivered a "gobbledy-gook" response to the committee's requests for information.
"Are you able to make sense of this stuff?" he asks the Boeing CEO.
David Calhoun says he can't justify it and promises to follow up.
Caitlin Wilson
Reporting from Capitol Hill
Calhoun is asked about alleged retaliation against Boeing whistleblowers, despite a company policy that prohibits such practices.
We heard about this from whistleblowers in a previous hearing.
If that alleged harassment is true, "how is Boeing going to end this broken safety culture?" Senator Blumenthal asks.
"I assure you that I listened to the whistleblowers," Calhoun says, specifically citing the ones who appeared at the separate Senate hearing earlier this year.
Calhoun says he is not sure how many Boeing employees were fired or disciplined for retaliating against whistleblowers, but says he knows some have been.
Caitlin Wilson
Reporting from Capitol Hill
After Dave Calhoun finishes his prepared remarks, lawmakers now have the chance to ask questions of him and Howard McKenzie.
Chairman Richard Blumenthal takes the first question: "Do you think Boeing has done enough" to correct the company's issues?
"I ask myself that question every day. have we done enough?" Calhoun answers.
He adds that he "accepts" that Boeing and the faulty software MCAS are responsible for the Lion Air and Ethiopia Air crashes.
"We've learned" since then, Calhoun says.
Dave Calhoun is still speaking from his prepared remarks, running through the company's actions since the Alaska Airlines flight.
Those include slowing production dramatically and taking steps to purchase supplier Spirit Aerosystems, which it had spun off as an independent company as part of a cost cutting drive.
He says the firm is also committed to making sure staff can come forward with problems without fear of retaliation.
Caitlin Wilson
Reporting from Capitol Hill
Dave Calhoun reads from his pre-prepared remarks to the committee.
In addition to his apologies for the fatal crashes in Indonesia and Ethiopia, Calhoun says Boeing also regrets the Alaska Airlines incident in January, adding he is "thankful" the flight landed without any serious injuries or deaths.
Caitlin Wilson
Reporting from Capitol Hill
Image source, ReutersDave Calhoun turns around to directly address the families of victims of the 2018 and 2019 plane crashes.
"I apologise" for your grief he tells them, as his voice seems to waiver with emotion.
Image source, Getty ImagesBoeing CEO Dave Calhoun and Chief Engineer Howard McKenzie have been sworn in.
Senator Richard Blumenthal, the head of the committee, has wrapped up his introductory remarks.
He says he believed the Department of Justice should move forward to prosecute Boeing.
After the Alaska Airlines incident, he said, the "facade literally blew off the hollow shell that had been Boeing's promises to the world. Once that chasm was exposed we learned there was virtually no bottom".
Caitlin Wilson
Reporting from Capitol Hill
The subcommittee's ranking Republican member, Senator Ron Johnson, says that as the main aerospace manufacturer in the United States, it's essential that Boeing succeeds.
But, he says, the company must make clear to the public that it is "safe to fly" on Boeing planes.
"You need perfection" when it comes to airplane safety, he adds.
Image source, Getty ImagesSenator Richard Blumenthal has started his remarks by recognising family members of those killed in the 2018 and 2019 flights and thanking those in attendance.
Their presence, he said, is a reminder that "the issues before us have real human consequences, life and death results".
The photo above shows some of the family members, holding signs and photos of their loved ones.
Caitlin Wilson
Reporting from Capitol Hill
Before chair Richard Blumenthal began to speak, audience members shouted messages to Boeing CEO Dave Calhoun.
"We want to know how they died," one woman says, asking for answers on "who did what when".
Another woman, Clariss Moore, shouted that she wanted to understand "my daughter's last breath on the plane. Did she call for me? Did someone hold her hands?" she asks.