Boeing will be in the spotlight during back-to-back hearings Wednesday, as Congress examines allegations of safety failures at the aircraft manufacturer.

The first session will feature members of an expert panel that found serious flaws in Boeing's safety culture.

The second will feature a Boeing engineer who claims that sections of the skin on 787 Dreamliner jets are not properly fastened and could eventually break apart. The whistleblower's lawyer says Boeing has ignored the engineer's concerns and prevented him from talking to experts about fixing the defects.

The whistleblower, Sam Salehpour, sent documents to the Federal Aviation Administration, which is investigating the quality and safety of Boeing's manufacturing.

Salehpour is scheduled to testify Wednesday before a Senate investigations subcommittee. Another Boeing whistleblower — Ed Pierson, a former manager on the Boeing 737 program — and two other aviation technical experts are also on the witness list.

The Democrat who chairs the panel and its senior Republican have asked Boeing for documents going back six years about manufacturing of Boeing 787 and 777 planes, including any safety concerns or complaints raised by Boeing employees, contractors or airlines.

The subcommittee's hearing Wednesday will follow one by the Senate Commerce Committee, which is scheduled to hear from members of an expert panel that examined safety at Boeing. 

Boeing says it is cooperating with the inquiry, offering to provide documents and briefings.

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