On Wednesday, another whistleblower came forward alleging that he was retaliated against after he flagged potentially dangerous manufacturing problems in the Boeing 787 Dreamliner.
According to lawyer Katz Banks Kumin, Richard Cuevas filed a complaint with two US agencies, alleging he was abruptly terminated in March 2024 after he raised concerns over manufacturing deviations in the advance pressure bulkhead, which is critical to pressure management during flights.
Cuevas is the latest whistleblower about Boeing’s operations to contribute to investigations into the aircraft maker following an in-flight incident involving a 737 Max plane operated by Alaska Airlines in January that forced the plane to make an emergency landing.
Cuevas worked as a contractor for Strom, who employed him at Spirit AeroSystems, which makes the fuselage for the Dreamliner.
In October 2023, Cuevas filed an ethics complaint with Boeing, alleging that Spirit had made unauthorized changes to the dimensions of fastener holes in the forward pressure bulkhead of 787 aircraft without notifying Boeing.
“Our customer observed serious problems with the forward pressure bulkhead assembly on multiple aircraft that deviated from Boeing’s specifications,” said a statement from Katz Banks Kumin.
“He recognized the shoddy work and raised concerns about his safety concerns, but Spirit and Boeing failed to stop the faulty manufacturing processes. Mr. Cuevas was fired when his manager learned that an employee had complained about these issues, and suspected that employee was Mr. Cuevas.”
Lawyers filed complaints with the Federal Aviation Administration and the Occupational Health and Safety Administration, and a later filing said Cuevas believed “that statements made by Boeing and Spirit to the public and investors about the safety of the 787 Dreamliners are fraudulent, based on his direct observation of obvious safety issues.”
The lawyers are also representing Sam Salehpour, a Boeing engineer who testified in the Senate in April about concerns over 787 manufacturing practices and said he was retaliated against for speaking out.
Boeing said it is not involved in the subcontractors’ personnel decisions.
“A subcontractor employee previously raised concerns with us, which we investigated thoroughly, as we take any safety matter seriously. Engineering analysis determined that the issues raised did not present a safety concern and were resolved,” Boeing said. “We are reviewing the documents released today and will thoroughly investigate any new claims.”
“Spirit’s leadership is aware of the allegations and is investigating the matter,” company spokesman Joe Buccino said. “We encourage all Spirit employees to come forward with concerns, safe in the knowledge that they will be protected.”
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)