A former worker for a Boeing subcontractor says reporting a problem with a 787 got him fired

A mechanic contracted by Boeing supplier Spirit AeroSystems in Everett to repair the plane has filed complaints with regulators, saying he witnessed substandard work on the Boeing 787 and was terminated after reporting the problems.

Attorneys filed complaints with the Federal Aviation Administration and OSHA on behalf of Richard Cuevas, an employee of Strom Aviation, a contractor for Spirit AeroSystems.

Cuevas alleges that, without obtaining permission from Boeing, Spirit changed manufacturing and assembly specifications regarding drilling holes in the forward pressure bulkhead stabilizers of 787 aircraft, according to a press release sent by law firm Katz Banks Komen. That could compromise the planes’ power and air pressure, says Cuevas, who filed an initial complaint in October using Boeing’s ethics hotline.

In the complaint sent to FAA Administrator Michael Whitaker, the attorneys are asking the FAA to investigate defects in the 787’s forward pressure bulkhead, a dome-shaped structure in the front section of the plane.

Boeing said in a statement on Wednesday that Cuevas’ concerns were thoroughly investigated and that engineering analysis “determined that the issues raised do not represent safety concerns and have been addressed.” The statement did not identify Cuevas by name.

“We are reviewing the documents released today and will thoroughly investigate any new claim,” Boeing said in the statement.

Cuevas began working at Boeing’s Everett hangar in March 2023. His primary duties were removing and replacing cargo doors on a Boeing 787 Dreamliner, and he claims to have seen problems on three planes.

He says Spirit moved him to Wichita, Kan., in September to work at a manufacturing plant for Atlas, a Spirit supplier. While in Wichita, Cuevas said he noticed manufacturing defects, such as the size of the holes being drilled in the forward pressure bulkhead. A month later, he returned to Everett to work on installing the forward pressure bulkheads on the planes, and saw more problems, including workers taking shortcuts to speed up production, he says.

When Cuevas expressed his concerns, according to the complaint, Boeing and Spirit were in the midst of addressing mounting scrutiny from the Jan. 5 incident on an Alaska Airlines flight in which a commission blew up a 737-9 MAX as it boarded from Portland. . The panel was a door stopper used to close a hole in the fuselage sometimes used to accommodate an emergency exit.

After Cuevas raised these issues with Spirit management and Boeing, he claims, he was fired in March, the same day FAA officials came to the Boeing hangar to conduct a compliance inspection.

Boeing said Wednesday that it does not get involved in subcontractors’ human resources decisions.

Our leadership is aware of these allegations and is looking into the matter. “We encourage all Spirit employees with concerns to come forward, safe in the knowledge that they will be protected,” Spirit spokesman Joe Buccino wrote in an email.

Strom, a Minnesota-based aviation staffing firm, did not respond Wednesday to requests for comment.

Cuevas is represented by the same attorneys who worked for Boeing engineer Sam Salehpour. Earlier this year, Salehpour testified before the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, accusing Boeing of hiding safety risks on its 787 Dreamliner and 777 wide-body jets.

Boeing insisted that the gaps in the 787’s fuselage did not pose a safety risk, a claim supported by John Hart Smith, a retired Boeing engineer and senior technical fellow who examined the data behind Salehpour’s claims.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is investigating the 787 Dreamliner after the company revealed in April that South Carolina employees falsified inspection records at work where the wings were attached to the fuselage. This investigation has nothing to do with Salehpour’s testimony.