Whistleblower warns Boeing of 787 plane defects that could have ‘devastating consequences’

CNN
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A whistleblower came forward Wednesday, claiming that parts of Boeing’s 787 Dreamliner planes were built unsafely, which could lead to “devastating consequences.”

Richard Cuevas, a mechanic with Strom, a contractor for Boeing manufacturing partner Spirit Aerosystems, says he witnessed improperly drilled holes in the forward pressure bulkheads of 787 planes at Spirit’s Wichita, Kansas, facility in 2023. The bulkhead is one of the main parts of an aircraft body and crucial for keeping the structure of the aircraft intact while it is in the air.

Cuevas claims he filed a complaint in October 2023 with Boeing and Spirit over “substandard manufacturing and maintenance processes” he witnessed, and was fired a few months later, according to complaints filed by his lawyers and obtained by CNN.

Boeing said it had already investigated Cuevas’ allegations and that they did not pose a safety concern.

“An employee of a contractor previously raised concerns with us that we investigated thoroughly because we took any safety-related matters seriously,” the company said in a statement. “Technical analysis determined that the issues raised did not present a security concern and have been resolved.”

The company said it was reviewing documents made public by Cuevas’ lawyers on Wednesday and would investigate any new claims.

Spirit Aerosystems and Strom did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

The Federal Aviation Administration said in a statement that it “strongly encourages anyone with safety concerns to report them and we thoroughly investigate each report.” The FAA said it reviewed 126 whistleblower reports from Boeing this year and 11 last year.

Cuevas said the deficiencies he observed in the plane’s forward pressure bulkheads appeared in two planes he helped build and could potentially lead to a “disaster.” Cuevas claims workers drilled holes slightly larger than Boeing specifications to “remove excess paint from the holes and speed up a slow process,” which he says could compromise the power and pressure of the air in planes, creating a serious risk for the safety of passengers. on board.

Cuevas said he filed a complaint with Boeing’s ethics hotline, reporting to management that he believed Spirit was hiding the problems from Boeing. It also alleges that Boeing opened an investigation into Cuevas’ concerns in October 2023, alerting Spirit management to the complaints. During that time, Cuevas says his co-worker remarked, “We have a snitch in our midst,” and in March, Spirit suddenly fired Cuevas, according to the complaints.

The complaints indicate that Cuevas witnessed these problems with three planes he worked on and estimates that these problems could affect at least 10 to 12 planes in production or already delivered to Boeing.

These claims are not new: A former whistleblower, Sam Salehpour, a Boeing engineer, said he found and reported similar deficiencies in the 787 and 777 planes. For nearly two years starting in 2021, the FAA and Boeing have halted deliveries of new Dreamliners while they examine the deficiencies. Boeing said it made changes to its manufacturing process and deliveries eventually resumed.

More than a dozen whistleblowers have come forward against Boeing in recent years, and their numbers have increased dramatically since a door jam caused a 737 Max plane to explode in January just after takeoff, leaving a gaping hole on the side of the plane. Last week, for example, a current Boeing employee claimed the company tried to shield broken or out-of-spec 737 Max plane parts from regulators and lost track of them — and he feared they might not. could have been installed on planes carrying passengers. .

The FAA has opened several investigations into Boeing, and the U.S. Department of Justice has said it may pursue criminal charges against the company over its continued quality and safety failings.

The FAA said a six-week audit of Boeing facilities conducted in late winter found numerous problems in Boeing’s production practices. A separate report found “gaps” in Boeing’s safety culture, including a disconnect between management and workers and fears among employees about retaliation if they reported safety problems.

Last week, Boeing CEO Dave Calhoun apologized for Boeing’s recent safety failures in testimony before a Senate committee, but rejected allegations that the company retaliated against those who highlighted safety problems. Calhoun said Boeing was “far from perfect” and acknowledged that the company would not easily regain the public’s trust.

Correction: An earlier version of this story incorrectly stated where and when the alleged improper drilling took place. It was in Wichita, Kansas, in 2023.