A former quality inspector at Boeing’s largest parts supplier said Wednesday that he was under pressure to cover up defects found in aircraft parts, raising scrutiny over the quality control of the company’s 737 planes.
Santiago Paredes worked for more than 10 years as an inspector at Spirit AeroSystems, Boeing’s largest parts manufacturer.he told CBS News and BBC He wasn’t surprised when a missing door bolt on an Alaska Airlines flight blew the entire door plug of a 737 Max mid-air in January.
“Why did that happen? Because Spirit put so much pressure on the inspectors that they missed defects that they missed,” Paredes said. “If the culture was good, these problems would be solved, but the culture is not good.”
He said he sees hundreds of defects in parts on a regular basis, and that his management has given him the nickname “Shower” because he frequently delays production for inspection.
“They were always raving about how I found it and why I was watching it,” he says.
“They just wanted the product shipped. They weren’t focused on the impact of shipping a defective aircraft,” he continued. “They were just focused on meeting quotas, staying on schedule, staying on budget…As long as the numbers were good, the condition of the aircraft didn’t really matter.”
In response to the Alaska Airlines incident, the Federal Aviation Administration grounded all similar 787 Max aircraft and conducted a thorough investigation into the airline’s parts quality and management infrastructure. Federal investigators said the company’s safety culture was “deficient and chaotic.”
Paredes said he was demoted after complaining that Spirit management changed defect protocols to reduce reporting.
“I felt threatened and felt I was being retaliated against for voicing my concerns,” he said.
He returned to his leadership role after filing the complaint, but resigned shortly thereafter.
Paredes said he is still reluctant to fly because of his experience with the Boeing subsidiary.
“Until I worked at Spirit, I hadn’t met many people who were afraid of flying,” he says. “And when I was at Spirit, I met a lot of people who were scared of airplanes because they saw how they were put together.”
Mr. Spirit denied Mr. Paredes’ claims.
“We are vigorously defending his claims,” a Spirit spokesperson told CBS News.
Last month, another Boeing inspector-turned-whistleblower said there was “absolutely” a culture of retaliation against inspectors at the company.
Sam Salepour said at a Senate hearing that “in its rush to address production bottlenecks, Boeing ran into problems and went overboard to make it look like there was a gap when it didn’t exist.” “I assembled the parts with great strength.” “The gap doesn’t actually close and can lead to premature fatigue failure. In effect, they’re sending out a defective plane.”
Boeing moved to acquire Spirit after the Alaska Airlines incident and concerns about quality control.
“The reunification of Boeing and Spirit AeroSystems’ manufacturing operations will further strengthen aviation safety, improve quality and serve the interests of our customers, employees and shareholders,” the company said in March. Stated.
Boeing declined to comment.
Updated at 10:18 p.m.
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