National: Boeing 737 Whistleblower Discovers Hundreds of Defects in Plane Parts Daily

A whistleblower at Boeing’s largest supplier, Spirit AeroSystems, has come forward with alarming claims about the quality of Boeing 737 fuselage parts. Santiago Paredes, a former quality inspector at Spirit, revealed that he would find hundreds of defects on Boeing 737 fuselage parts each day during his time there.

Paredes, who worked at Spirit for 12 years before resigning in 2022, told CBS News and the BBC in exclusive interviews that he was instructed by Spirit management to conceal and downplay manufacturing issues in his reports. He expressed his frustration, stating, “If quality mattered, I would still be at Spirit.”

Spirit AeroSystems, based in Kansas, manufactures plane parts that are supplied to Boeing for final assembly. Paredes highlighted concerns about the safety of Boeing planes, particularly the Boeing 737 Max 9s, after a door plug panel blew off a 737 Max 9 operated by Alaska Airlines in mid-air.

The whistleblower’s claims come in the wake of another whistleblower, Joshua Dean, a quality engineer at Spirit, who passed away suddenly at 45 years old. Dean had also raised concerns about manufacturing defects on Boeing 737 planes.

Paredes detailed instances where he found fuselages with missing fasteners and other critical defects, raising fears about potential safety issues with Boeing’s planes. He described feeling pressured by Spirit management to ignore defects to speed up production, leading to delays in deliveries.

Boeing has responded to the allegations, stating that they have a team to inspect fuselages and address defects. The outgoing CEO of Boeing, Dave Calhoun, mentioned increased oversight of Spirit’s operations to reduce defect rates.

The whistleblower’s revelations shed light on the challenges faced by workers in the aerospace industry and raise questions about the safety and quality standards of Boeing planes.