Further Allegations Emerge Regarding Boeing's Sketchy Manufacturing Practices

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Since the start of the year, Boeing has been mired deep in accusations, allegations, and controversies regarding their manufacturing standards and corporate culture. While this isn't the first time Boeing has come under fire over their questionable manufacturing and safety standards (see the 737 MAX 8 controversy of 2019), Boeing has been consistently getting raked over the coals since the Alaska Airlines mid-air door blowout on January 5, an accident believed to have been precipitated by the improper installation of the door plugs.

Since then, multiple whistleblowers have come forward with a bevvy of other accusations about Boeing's behind-the-scenes practices, and in March, Boeing failed numerous FAA audits, as did their parts manufacturer Spirit Aerosystems. But after months of hearings, testimonials, and investigations, Boeing still isn't out of the firing line. On June 17, a report emerged with new, disturbing allegations made against Boeing by yet another whistleblower.

The plot thickens even further. According to @forbes , a recent Senate subcommittee investigation report included testimony from Sam Mohawk, a former Boeing quality assurance inspector turned whistleblower. Other whistleblowers have made claims about Boeing's alleged corner-cutting, dangerously rushed production quotas, and bullying of workers who dared to critique these risky practices. Mohawk went even further in his testimony, alleging that Boeing not only engaged in outright deception, but also lost track of defective airplane parts.

Related: Boeing Whistleblower Found Dead Shortly After Testifying Against Former Employer

According to The Independent , Mohawk claimed that Boeing had hundreds of damaged or defective parts in their 737 program, which should have been tracked and properly disposed of to ensure that they wouldn't end up on the production line. Instead, Mohawk claims that the defective parts were marked in red and intentionally hidden during a June 2023 FAA inspection. He also claims that his supervisors asked him to delete records that indicated the existence of said faulty parts.

Worse still, Mohawk claims that Boeing lost track of the hidden defective parts after the FAA inspection. While many of them may have been lost completely, Mohawk fears that some of them may have found their way back onto the production line and been installed on planes. In light of the 737 MAX 9 door plug issues , along with numerous other concerns regarding Boeing's quality control, that is a disturbing, but not implausible, possibility.

The Growing Backlash Against Boeing

Public opinion quickly turned on Boeing after the Alaska Airlines incident on January 5, and the company's reputation has only continued to steadily erode with each new shocking revelation, many of them coming from Boeing whistleblowers - two of whom died shortly after speaking out. In March, whistleblower John Barnett was found dead from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound shortly before he was to testify in his ongoing lawsuit against Boeing. Two months later, Time Magazine reported that Joshua Dean, a whistleblower and former quality auditor with Boeing supplier Spirit Aerosystems, also died from a "sudden and severe" MRSA infection . While foul play wasn't indicated in either case, the sudden and mysterious nature of these deaths only served to fuel suspicions and conspiracy theories against Boeing.

Boeing's past failings are catching up to them in other ways as well. Boeing's newly-implemented MCAS flight control system was linked to two deadly crashes involving the 737 Max 8 in 2018 and 2019, which claimed more than 300 lives in total. Boeing initially managed to evade criminal charges through a 2021 agreement where they promised to improve their safety and compliance protocols. However, according to CNN , the DOJ ruled last month that Boeing has since breached that agreement, and the families of the MAX 8 crash victims have renewed their calls for Boeing to face criminal charges, accusing the company of committing " the deadliest corporate crime in US history. "

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