Another Boeing whistleblower has come forward with claims that safety and quality issues were ignored and concerns were dismissed by management.
Roy Irvin, who worked at Boeing’s plant in South Carolina from 2011 to 2017 as a quality investigator, alleged that he was reprimanded as “insubordinate” for flagging safety and quality issues on 787 Dreamliner planes that he inspected.
“Missing safety devices on hardware or un-tightened hardware means that you’re not going to be able to control the airplane if those fail,” Irvin told the New York Post. “The safety device is on there. If the fastener is not secured correctly, it’s going to fall off and you’re not gonna be able to control the airplane.”
The development comes after the Guardian spoke with workers at Boeing’s Everett, Washington plant, who said the factory was in “panic mode” as they stripped and repaired 787 jets flown across from South Carolina to be fixed.
Brian Knowles, an attorney who represents whistleblowers including Irvin, claimed his law firm has fielded dozens of inquiries from Boeing whistleblowers over the past several weeks.
“Most of the people we’re hearing from are current employees,” Knowles told the New York Post, adding that the employees were advocating for the company to get back on track and take criticisms and safety concerns seriously.
Irvin worked with John Barnett, a Boeing whistleblower found dead in March. The local coroner later determined he had died by suicide.
A second whistleblower, 45-year-old Joshua Dean, who previously worked as a quality auditor at Boeing supplier Spirit AeroSystems, died from an illness in April.
Santiago Paredes, another whistleblower, who worked for Spirit AeroSystems as a former quality manager, told CBS News in May that “it was very rare for us to look at a job and not find any defects”.
Boeing engineer Sam Salehpour also came forward earlier this year, issuing a stark warning about 787 jets. Boeing has insisted it is “fully confident” of the 787’s safety and durability, citing “extensive and rigorous” testing.
“I have serious concerns about the safety of the 787 and 777 aircraft and I’m willing to take on professional risk to talk about them,” Salehpour said in a US Senate hearing. When he raised concerns to management, he “was ignored”, he said. “I was told not to create delays. I was told, frankly, to shut up.”
In a statement, Boeing said it “takes very seriously” any allegation of improper work or unethical behavior. “We continuously encourage employees to report concerns as our priority is to ensure the safety of our airplanes and the flying public,” the company said, “and we will take any necessary action to ensure our airplanes meet regulatory requirements.”
