Boeing whistleblowers continue to come forward with safety concerns

Another Boeing employee has claimed that management ignored safety and quality concerns and dismissed their concerns.

Roy Irvin worked as a quality inspector at Boeing’s South Carolina plant from 2011 until 2017. He claims that he was “reprimanded” as an “insubordinate”, for pointing out safety and quality problems on 787 Dreamliner aircraft that he had inspected.

Irvin , a New York Post reporter, told that if safety devices are missing or hardware is not tightened properly you will be unable to control your airplane. The safety device is there. The fastener will fall off if it is not properly secured. You won’t be able control the plane.

After speaking with employees at Boeing’s Everett Washington plant who claimed that the factory was “in panic mode” while they stripped and fixed 787 jets brought across from South Carolina for repair, they learned of this development.

Brian Knowles is an attorney who represents Boeing whistleblowers, including Irvin. He claims that his firm has received dozens of inquiries over the last few weeks from Boeing whistleblowers.

Knowles told The New York Post that “most of the people who are speaking out to us are employees.” She added that employees wanted the company back on track, and took safety concerns and criticisms seriously.

Irvin was a colleague of John Barnett, who was a Boeing whistleblower . He died in March. Later, the local coroner determined that he died of suicide.

In April , a second whistleblower died. Joshua Dean, 45, had previously worked at Spirit AeroSystems as a quality auditor.

In May, CBS News reported that Santiago Paredes was another whistleblower who had worked as a quality manager for Spirit AeroSystems. He said, “It is very rare to find no defects in a job”.

Boeing engineer Sam Salehpour came forward in the beginning of this year with a warning against 787 jets. Boeing insists that it is “fully confident in the safety and durability of the 787, citing extensive and rigorous testing.”

Salehpour told a US Senate hearing that he had “serious concerns” about the safety of 787 and777 aircraft. He was willing to risk his professional reputation to speak about these issues. He said that when he brought up his concerns with management, they “ignored” him. “I was told to not create delays.” “I was told to shut up,” I was told.

Boeing stated that it takes “very seriously ” any allegations of improper work or unethical conduct. Boeing said that it “continually encourages employees to report any concerns, as our primary concern is the safety of both our planes and flying public,” adding that “we will take all necessary actions to ensure our aircraft meet regulatory requirements.”