A new Boeing whistleblower warns of “potentially devastating consequences” of aircraft failures
Another day, another . Richard Cuevas, described by his lawyers as an experienced mechanic and a 40-year veteran in the airline industry, used to work for Strom, a contractor for Spirit, the main provider of Boeing parts. Cuevas says that during his time at the company, he saw “critical flaws and issues with sealants” on some of the 787 Dreamliner aircraft he worked on. Specifically, what are called located in the front pressure bulkhead of the aircraft, which help different parts of an aircraft fit together, were not being drilled to the correct specifications, he says, and were slightly larger than they were supposed to be. Those issues could have potentially had “devastating consequences,” he says, including “compromising power and air pressure in the aircraft.”
Shortly after, Cuevas filed a complaint with the Federal Aviation Administration’s ethics department and raised safety concerns to his superiors, however, he was left jobless. Now, Cuevas and his lawyers have filed complaints with the FAA, as well as with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), urging the government to initiate an investigation into the Dreamliner’s front pressure bulkheads and claiming that Cuevas faced retaliation.
“Our client witnessed critical issues with the front pressure bulkhead assembly on multiple aircraft that deviated from Boeing’s specifications,” said Cuevas. “He recognized substandard work and expressed safety concerns, but Spirit and Boeing failed to stop the defective manufacturing processes. Mr. Cuevas was fired when his manager found out an employee was complaining about these issues.”
Gizmodo reached out to Boeing for comments on this story and will update if the company responds.
“A subcontractor employee previously raised concerns to us that we thoroughly investigated while taking any safety-related matter seriously,” a Boeing spokesperson said. “Engineering analysis determined the issues raised did not present a safety concern and were addressed.”
Boeing has faced increasing scrutiny since one of its aircraft lost part of its fuselage. Since then, the company has been hit with a whirlwind of bad press and multiple federal investigations. Department of Justice lawyers The company’s safety issues represent a breach of a 2021 deferred prosecution agreement, which could expose the company to criminal prosecution. Earlier this week, Reuters U.S. prosecutors had recommended to senior Justice Department officials to bring criminal charges against Boeing.
