They say they just want to stop the plane from crashing.
Two former employees of Boeing and one of its prime contractors told The Washington Post that they are more determined than ever to tell the truth about the once-great but now scandal-plagued manufacturer’s dangerous practices, despite the deaths of two whistleblowers within two months this year.
Boeing veterans Roy Irvin and Santiago Paredes, who worked for Spirit AeroSystems (separate from Spirit Airlines), are just two of at least 20 whistleblowers who have publicly raised concerns about safety and quality issues at the aerospace giant.
Their testimony comes after Boeing has been dogged by whistleblower testimony and congressional investigations for years.
A scathing report released by the House of Representatives Transportation and Infrastructure Committee in September concluded that the two 737 MAX crashes in 2018 and 2019 were the “horrific culmination” of “repeated and severe failures” by the company and regulators.
And in January, a fuselage “plug” blew off of Alaska Airlines’ new Boeing 737 MAX-9 jet at an altitude of 10,000 feet.
Whistleblower He told the Seattle Times Boeing is held responsible because after the fuselage was delivered by manufacturer Spirit, the panel was removed and reinstalled at the Boeing factory in Renton, Washington, with four critical bolts missing.
Now, Irvin and Paredes are speaking out.
Irvin worked as a quality inspector at Boeing in North Charleston, South Carolina, from 2011 to 2017, trying to make sure the $250 million 787 Dreamliner planes were ready for work before they left the factory. He joined the company in 2009.
Irvin said he was “refuting” almost daily the discovery of serious safety and quality problems in planes that had left the factory and were on the “flight line” – meaning they had been inspected and deemed OK.
Instead, Ervin claims he was often forced into “insubordination” after repeatedly pointing out problems he saw.
“If any hardware safeguard is missing or loosely fastened, you could lose control of the airplane if it fails,” Irvin told the Post.
“The safety features are there. If the fasteners are not fastened correctly they will come off and you won’t be able to fly the plane.”
Irvin had worked with Boeing whistleblower John Barnett, 62, who was found dead with a silver handgun in a South Carolina hotel parking lot on March 9 after failing to show up for the second part of testimony in the explosive lawsuit against the company. Police ruled Barnett’s cause of death a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
Then Joshua Dean, 45, a former quality auditor for Spirit AeroSystems, died in early May from a rapidly progressing infection.
Paradoxically, these deaths may have empowered others to come forward.
Brian Knowles, a Charleston, South Carolina, lawyer who has represented whistleblowers including Irvin and Paredes, as well as the late Barnett and Dean, told The Washington Post that his firm has received dozens of new calls from potential whistleblowers in recent weeks.
“Most of the people we’re talking to are current employees,” he said. “They’re not disgruntled employees.
“In many cases, they love the company. Their goal isn’t to bankrupt the company, their goal is to get the company back on track.”
“Boeing says it listens to criticism, but in reality it is not being addressed internally, and many have faced retaliation for speaking out.”
Paredes worked as a production inspector at Spirit AeroSystems for 12 years before retiring in 2022.
He told The Washington Post he was shocked to see hundreds of defects on the production line when he first arrived at the company, and even more horrified when he was pressured not to say anything.
“I was at the end of the production line, so I got to see the finished product before it was shipped to Boeing,” Paredes said.
“Instead, I saw missing or incomplete parts, frames without tacks or fasteners, dented parts, broken parts, cut rivets and other issues that could have occurred but should have been fixed before they got to me.
“Everything I was seeing was like a time bomb.”
He claims his superiors pressured him to keep reports to a minimum and nicknamed him a “show stopper” because reports of defects often delayed deliveries.
“They always said there was no time to correct the mistake,” Paredes said. “They had to withdraw the plane.”
“It was also scary watching the news every day and seeing something happen to a plane in the air. It was a nightmare.”
“Spirit encourages people to voice their concerns, and we’ve made it easier for them to do so,” said Joe Buccino, a spokesman for Spirit AeroSystems.
A Boeing spokesperson sent an emailed statement that said in part: “Boeing takes allegations of improper work practices or unethical conduct very seriously.
“Our number one priority is ensuring the safety of our aircraft and passengers, and we continue to encourage our employees to report any concerns and we will take the necessary steps to ensure our aircraft meet regulatory requirements.”
“Boeing employees can report concerns anonymously through our Speak Up portal or directly to the FAA.”
Speaking to The Washington Post, the men said they had no fear in speaking out, despite the conspiracy theories that spread after Barnett and Dean’s deaths.
Meanwhile, Ervin said he was always looking in his rearview mirror to make sure no other cars were following him.
“I’m not a conspiracy theorist, [Barnett] About a week before he died. I can’t imagine him ever giving up like that, even though he had other problems. I think he fought this to the end.
“I’m not saying I don’t believe in[suicide]but it just doesn’t make sense to me. It doesn’t make sense. You can quote me on that.”
