A former Boeing quality-control manager has come forward with allegations of concerning practices at the company's 787 Dreamliner factory in Everett, Washington. The manager, a 30-year veteran of Boeing, claims that workers at the factory routinely took parts deemed unsuitable for flight from an internal scrap yard and reintroduced them into the assembly lines.
The manager described an elaborate off-the-books practice that Boeing managers allegedly used to meet production deadlines. This included taking damaged and improper parts from various company locations such as the scrapyard, storehouses, and loading docks.
These allegations are part of a series of whistleblowers' claims this year regarding lapses in Boeing's factory operations. One current employee filed an official federal complaint, accusing Boeing of hiding potentially defective parts from Federal Aviation Administration inspectors, with some of these parts potentially ending up in planes.
The former quality-control manager asserts that the lapses he witnessed were intentional efforts to bypass quality control processes in order to keep up with demanding production schedules. He estimates that over a decade, around 50,000 parts that should have been scrapped were used in aircraft construction, ranging from small items like screws to complex assemblies like wing flaps.
Despite parts being marked as unsuitable for assembly with red paint, some still made their way into planes under assembly. The manager emphasized the critical importance of maintaining a strict quality control system to ensure the separation of bad and good parts.
Boeing, in response to the allegations, stated that it investigates all claims of improper behavior and makes necessary improvements. The former manager, who raised concerns internally and with federal investigators, believes that the use of unapproved parts in assembly lines may still be ongoing at the Everett site.
The manager's efforts to address these issues internally were reportedly met with resistance, with investigators allegedly failing to enforce safety rules despite clear violations. The manager's disclosures have been made to federal authorities, a Senate panel, and the media.
These revelations raise serious questions about Boeing's quality control processes and adherence to safety standards in aircraft manufacturing, highlighting the need for thorough investigations and corrective actions to ensure passenger and crew safety.
