Whistleblowers at Boeing and one of its subcontractors continue to express their concerns about aircraft safety following the accidental deaths of two colleagues who also went public.
So far, at least three people have come forward publicly. Others are weighing the risks of voicing concerns about civilian and military aircraft production.
Earlier this year, two whistleblowers died in unrelated incidents after speaking out against the aerospace giant.
John Barnett, 62, shot himself in his truck shortly after testifying in a whistleblower lawsuit against the company, according to police in Charleston, South Carolina.
Lawyer for Boeing whistleblower John Barnett blames company for suicide
In this National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) handout, plastic covers the outside of the fuselage plug area of a Boeing 737-9 MAX on Alaska Airlines Flight 1282 on January 7, 2024 in Portland, Oregon. On January 5, Alaska Airlines Flight 1282 took off from Portland, Oregon, bound for Ontario, California. Ten minutes later, a door-sized part of the Boeing 737-9 MAX exploded near the rear of the aircraft. (NTSB via Getty Images)
Joshua Dean, 44, died last month after contracting an antibiotic-resistant infection that damaged his lungs. He worked for Spirit AeroSystems, one of Boeing’s suppliers.
Dean lost his job in 2023 and filed a retaliation complaint with federal labor officials, claiming he was fired simply for speaking out. He was fired amid a shareholder lawsuit and reports of dangerous failures in Boeing 737 MAX aircraft parts – a model linked to multiple companies. disaster Last few years.
Boeing whistleblower from Kansas is second to die in two months
Boeing CEO Dave Calhoun has announced that he will resign at the end of this year. Other senior executives and board members, including the head of the 737 Max program, also left the company over the incident. (Fox News Live)
Attorneys Brian Knowles and Rob Turkewitz, who represent current and former Boeing employees who have come forward in recent months, praised their clients for speaking out.
Santiago Paredes, another Spirit AeroSystems employee said “Fox and Friends First” Last month, his superiors pressured him to “false information about defects in the 737 aircraft.” In a separate interview, he told the New York Post that he faced pushback over hundreds of issues, including missing or damaged parts and incomplete frame components.
Spirit AeroSystems disputes Paredes’ claims.
Cause of death of Boeing whistleblower John Barnett revealed as coroner releases official findings
Roy Irving, who worked with Barnett at the South Carolina plant, told The Washington Post that he discovered problems almost every day, including missing safety devices and loose bolts.
“If the fastener is not fastened correctly, it will come off and you will not be able to control the aircraft,” he told the newspaper.
This photo taken on November 13, 2023 shows a Boeing 777-9 jetliner on the tarmac during the Dubai Airshow 2023 at Dubai World Center – Dubai Al Maktoum International Airport. View of the fuselage and one of the engines. (Giuseppe Cassese/AFP via Getty Images)
Boeing whistleblower John Barnett was spied on, harassed by managers, sued
Another whistleblower, Boeing engineer Martin Bickeboller, confirmed two complaints to the Federal Aviation Administration since 2014, according to The Seattle Times. He filed a new filing in January accusing the company of failing to make repairs required by the government.
Before his death, Barnett said he learned of the problem while working at Boeing’s North Charleston plant in 2010 and claimed he had raised the issue with management, but to no avail. His attorney claimed that instead of addressing the issue, the company retaliated against him and subjected him to a hostile work environment, leading to the lawsuit that resulted in his dismissal.
The Boeing 787 Dreamliner was built on May 30, 2023, at the airline’s assembly plant in North Charleston, South Carolina. (Juliet Michel/AFP via Getty Images)
this Federal Aviation Administration A 2017 review of Boeing confirmed some of Barnett’s allegations and ordered the company to take action. The Securities and Exchange Commission launched its own investigation last month, and the National Transportation Safety Board is looking into individual incidents, including one in January where a 737-9 Max door was blown open mid-flight.
FAA Administrator Mike Whitaker met with a Senate committee last week to discuss Boeing’s current predicament. The government has asked Boeing to strengthen supplier supervision, including adding safety inspectors, internal audits and other remediation measures at Spirit AeroSystems facilities.
“For the FAA’s part, we will ensure that they do so and that their fixes are effective,” he said in a subsequent statement. “This does not signal an increase in our oversight of Boeing and its suppliers. ended, but it set a new standard for how Boeing does business.”
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He met separately with Boeing CEO Dave Calhoun.
“I’ve made it clear again that we need to see a strong and unwavering commitment to safety, which must always come first,” Whitaker said. “Systemic change is not easy, but in this case it is absolutely “Necessary, and when it comes to the safety of the flying public, whether it’s Boeing, the airlines or the FAA, the job is never really done.”
Calhoun previously announced he will step down End of the year. Other senior executives and board members, including the head of the 737 Max program, also left the company over the incident.
Boeing did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
