Former Boeing quality control officer Paredes: Part used despite significant defects
Stockholm, May 9 (Hibya) - Santiago Paredes, a former quality control officer for Boeing, said aircraft parts manufactured by the American company Spirit Aerosystems were used despite significant defects.
In an interview with British National Radio BBC, Paredes said that the parts were taken for assembly despite defects and that he was accused of slowing down production through extensive quality control.
Paredes is a witness in a lawsuit brought against the company by disgruntled shareholders. The company is accused of deliberately covering up defects in quality control. Spirit Aerosystems denies the allegations in the lawsuit.
Paredes says that during his tenure, he found between 50 and 200 defects, primarily minor and significant, in parts prepared for shipment to Boeing. When he raised concerns, he was accused of slowing production. He was pressured not to be too rigorous in quality control.
Boeing 737 Max airframes and 787 Dreamliner parts are manufactured at Spirit Aerosystems' plants in Kansas and Wichita, USA. Both models have recently been investigated for defects that led to accidents.
"Boeing declined to comment," read the BBC news.