A mechanic who was once shrunk via Boeing’s provider Spirit AeroSystems to fix airplanes in Everett has filed court cases with regulators, pronouncing he witnessed substandard paintings at the Boeing 787 and was once terminated after reporting the problems.Lawyers filed court cases with the Federal Aviation Management and Occupational Protection and Well being Management on behalf of Richard Cuevas, an worker of Strom Aviation, a contractor for Spirit AeroSystems. Cuevas alleges that, with out Boeing’s permission, Spirit modified production and meeting specs on drilling holes within the fasteners of the ahead power bulkhead of 787s, consistent with a information unencumber despatched via the regulation company Katz Banks Kumin. That might compromise energy and air power on planes, says Cuevas, who filed an preliminary grievance in October the use of Boeing’s ethics hotline.Within the grievance despatched to FAA Administrator Michael Whitaker, lawyers ask that the FAA release an investigation into flaws within the 787 ahead power bulkhead, which is a dome-shaped construction on the entrance phase of the airplane. Boeing mentioned in a remark Wednesday that Cuevas’s issues have been totally investigated and engineering research “decided the problems raised didn’t provide a security fear and have been addressed.” The remark didn’t establish Cuevas via title. “We’re reviewing the paperwork launched as of late and can totally examine any new declare,” Boeing mentioned within the remark.
Cuevas started running at Boeing’s Everett hangar in March 2023. His number one tasks have been to take away and change shipment doorways at the Boeing 787 Dreamliner plane, and he claims he witnessed issues of 3 planes.He says Spirit moved him to Wichita, Kan. in September to paintings in a producing plant for Atlas, a Spirit provider. Whilst in Wichita, Cuevas mentioned he spotted production flaws, similar to the dimensions of the holes being drilled into the ahead power bulkhead. A month later, he returned to Everett to paintings on putting in the ahead power bulkheads into plane, and he noticed extra problems, together with employees taking shortcuts to hurry up manufacturing, he alleges. When Cuevas expressed his issues, consistent with the grievance, Boeing and Spirit have been in the course of addressing greater scrutiny from the Jan. 5 incident on an Alaska Airways flight the place a panel blew off a 737-9 MAX airplane because it climbed out of Portland. The panel was once a door plug used to seal a hollow within the fuselage every now and then used to deal with an emergency go out.After Cuevas raised the problems with Spirit control and with Boeing, consistent with his claims, he was once fired in March, at the similar day FAA officers got here to the Boeing hangar for a compliance inspection. Boeing mentioned Wednesday it’s not concerned within the team of workers choices of subcontractors.
“Our management is conscious about the allegations and taking a look into the subject. We inspire all Spirit staff with issues to return ahead, protected in realizing they’ll be secure,” Spirit spokesman Joe Buccino wrote in an electronic mail. Strom, a Minnesota-based aviation staffing corporate, didn’t reply Wednesday to requests for remark. Cuevas is represented via the similar lawyers who labored with Boeing engineer Sam Salehpour. Previous this yr, Salehpour testified earlier than the Senate Committee on Fatherland Safety and Governmental Affairs, accusing Boeing of hiding protection dangers at the 787 Dreamliner and 777 widebody jets. Boeing has insisted the 787 fuselage gaps don’t seem to be a security chance, a declare that has been supported via John Hart-Smith, a retired Boeing engineer and senior technical fellow who tested the information in the back of Salehpour’s allegations.The FAA is investigating the 787 Dreamliner following an organization disclosure in April that South Carolina staff falsified inspection data on paintings the place the wings are joined to the fuselage frame. This investigation is unrelated to Salehpour’s testimony.
