Ex-Boeing engineer sidelined after a 787 critique defends troubled plane

At a U.S. Senate hearing last month, a Boeing whistleblower claimed that small gaps in Boeing’s 787 Dreamliner could cause a catastrophic accident. The following week at the 787 assembly plant in South Carolina, Boeing insisted the gaps pose no risk and the jet is safe.

The dueling narratives, emerging as Boeing’s credibility is near an all-time low, left industry observers and the public at a loss as to the risk.

There may be no more independent a judge of that risk than John Hart-Smith, who made a name for himself standing up to Boeing management and who is also a world-renowned expert on airplane structural integrity.

At the request of The Seattle Times, Hart-Smith, a retired Boeing engineer and senior technical fellow, examined the data behind the allegations.