Shortly after Wednesday's hearing with U.S. lawmakers, Boeing CEO Dennis Muilenburg was confronted by Nadia Milleron, the mother of Samya Rose Stumo, who was among the passengers killed when the Ethiopian Airlines 737 Max jet crashed in March.
According to CNN, Milleron told Muilenburg that she feels the latter doesn't understand the tragedies that took the lives of 346 people. "It's come to the point where you're not the person anymore to solve the situation," the bereaved mother said.
Muilenburg said he respects the grieving mother's view regarding his position as the chief executive of Boeing when the two crashes took place. He went on to explain that his father taught him to own up to his mistakes and "take responsibility."
Milleron's call for Muilenburg to step down from his post as the Boeing chief came amid an ongoing inquest into the company's potential mishandling of safety measures that could have prevented the Lion Air and Ethiopian Airlines crashes.
During the hearing, Muilenburg was asked by Michigan Republican Paul Mitchell if he offered to resign since two crashes took place under his rule as the CEO, to which the former responded that he did not.
While Muilenburg acknowledged several mistakes the jet maker made along the way, scrutiny for how Boeing handled the situation after the 737 Max tragedies ensue, especially among the victims' families.
During the hearing, an internal email revealing a Boeing employee's concerns about the 737 Max jet's safety. The employee said in the email that he has become "hesitant" of allowing his family to ride an aircraft created by the company he worked for, The Guardian reported.
The employee noted that due to the rush in completing orders, employees who were tired and working round-the-clock could have committed mistakes. The unveiled email was just one of the issues raised, including Muilenburg's pay.
Democrat and chairman of the inquest panel, Peter DeFazio, revealed that the Boeing employee, who was a manager, decided to leave the company after realizing that his calls for more focus on safety were ignored.
Meanwhile, another email emerged late Wednesday, suggesting that the troubled company reached out to a Congress member to avoid raising discussions about another aircraft, the KC-46.
Business Insider reported that the email was sent to Rep. John Garamendi's staff members wherein the jet maker indicated military aircraft KC-46 should not be mentioned during the hearing.
Still, Garamendi mentioned the troubled military jet that has been delayed in its launch multiple times reportedly due to redesigns and budget issues. Boeing has yet to respond to questions regarding the said military tanker.
