An anonymous whistleblower has raised serious concerns about the safety of Boeing 787 aircraft, claiming that they have been plagued by nightmares of the planes "falling out of the sky" due to alleged engineering flaws.
The individual, who chose to remain anonymous due to fears of potential legal repercussions, claimed that employees were often "pressured" into approving safety inspections that were not fully completed. They also stated that they would no longer permit their family members to travel on certain aircraft manufactured by Boeing.
The whistleblower's allegations were detailed in a letter to a special Senate Committee currently investigating claims against Boeing. The individual, who was employed as an A&P mechanic on the 787 models at Boeing South Carolina from May 2012 to January 2018, expressed their fear of being implicated in illegal activities carried out during their employment at the company.
The letter, obtained by The Independent, read, "I am writing you because I have spent the last six years having nightmares on a regular basis in which the 787s we worked on fall out of the sky. I wish to remain anonymous at this time because Im concerned that management had me do work that was illegal."
Another whistleblower, Roy Irvin, corroborated these concerns in written evidence provided to the committee. Irvin stated that, based on his experiences at the company, it was "a miracle" that more disasters had not occurred.
The anonymous mechanic also expressed concerns about the Multi-Function Process Performer (MFPP) program, which they claimed allowed Boeing mechanics to inspect and approve their own work. They alleged that when they inspected the work of others, it often failed, but when those same mechanics or their MFPP colleagues inspected their own work, it always passed.
The whistleblower also claimed that there were "regular complaints" from other mechanics working on joining sections of fuselage together. They alleged that Boeing altered the tolerances based on the failures they were experiencing.
The letter also detailed an incident where the employee was injured while performing a task they were not trained for. They were then assigned another task they were unfamiliar with and, when they raised their concerns, they were told to "just sign off the work". They were later dismissed, a week after the death of their son.
The whistleblower further alleged that the Boeing South Carolina plant was run by a "good old boy network" that played by their own rules. When concerns were raised about the work not being in accordance with processes and procedures, they were allegedly ordered to "just do it" and reminded that there were hundreds of others waiting for their jobs.
The stress of the job reportedly forced the employee to seek psychological help, and they were later diagnosed with PTSD.
John Barnett, a former Boeing quality control engineer and another whistleblower, was found dead in his truck in South Carolina in March, shortly after beginning testimony in a lawsuit against the manufacturer.
The anonymous letter concluded with the whistleblower expressing their lack of confidence in the manufacturing process of the fuselage sections and stringers. They stated, "It is because of these problems, I will not fly and will not allow my family to fly on a 787 made in Charleston, South Carolina."
Boeing announced earlier this week that its leaders had met with the US Federal Aviation Administration on May 30, to present its comprehensive Safety and Quality Plan. The new plan was "based on feedback from our employees, findings from FAA audits and recommendations from an FAA expert panel review," the company said.
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