Another Boeing Whistleblower

This time, it's the 787 that is in the crosshairs:

A mechanic who was contracted by Boeing’s supplier Spirit AeroSystems to repair airplanes in Everett has filed complaints with regulators, saying he witnessed substandard work on the Boeing 787 and was terminated after reporting the issues.

Attorneys filed complaints with the Federal Aviation Administration and Occupational Safety and Health Administration on behalf of Richard Cuevas, an employee of Strom Aviation, a contractor for Spirit AeroSystems.

Cuevas alleges that, without Boeing’s permission, Spirit changed manufacturing and assembly specifications on drilling holes in the fasteners of the forward pressure bulkhead of 787s, according to a news release sent by the law firm Katz Banks Kumin. That could compromise power and air pressure on planes, says Cuevas, who filed an initial complaint in October using Boeing’s ethics hotline.

In the complaint sent to FAA Administrator Michael Whitaker, attorneys asked that the FAA launch an investigation into flaws in the 787 forward pressure bulkhead, which is a dome-shaped structure at the front section of the plane.

………

Cuevas began working at Boeing’s Everett hangar in March 2023. His primary duties were to remove and replace cargo doors on the Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft, and he claims he witnessed problems with three planes.

He says Spirit moved him to Wichita, Kan., in September to work in a manufacturing plant for Atlas, a Spirit supplier. While in Wichita, Cuevas said he noticed manufacturing flaws, such as the size of the holes being drilled into the forward pressure bulkhead. A month later, he returned to Everett to work on installing the forward pressure bulkheads into aircraft, and he saw more issues, including workers taking shortcuts to speed up production, he alleges.

When Cuevas expressed his concerns, according to the complaint, Boeing and Spirit were in the midst of addressing increased scrutiny from the Jan. 5 incident on an Alaska Airlines flight where a panel blew off a 737 MAX 9 plane as it flew out of Portland. The panel was a door plug used to seal a hole in the fuselage sometimes used to accommodate an emergency exit.

After Cuevas raised the issues with Spirit management and Boeing, according to his claims, he was fired in March, on the same day FAA officials came to the Boeing hangar for a compliance inspection.

Boeing said Wednesday it is not involved in the personnel decisions of subcontractors.

That last statement is complete bullsh%$. I spent 30 years working as a contractor (temp), and almost all removals of was at at the specific request of the client.

The only ones that weren't were about things like complaints about payroll or benefits.

We need to start arresting executives.