Richard Cuevas, described by his lawyers as an experienced mechanic and a 40-year veteran of the airline industry, used to work for Strom, a contracto

New Boeing Whistleblower Warns of Potentially 'Devastating Consequences' From Plane Flaws

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2024-06-28 08:30:09

Richard Cuevas, described by his lawyers as an experienced mechanic and a 40-year veteran of the airline industry, used to work for Strom, a contractor with Spirit, which is Boeing’s primary parts supplier. Cuevas says that during his time with the company, he saw “critical drilling and sealant issues” on some of the 787 Dreamliner aircraft that he worked on. Specifically, what are called fastener holes located in the plane’s forward pressure bulkhead—the likes of which help different parts of an aircraft fit together—weren’t being drilled to the correct specification, he says, and were slightly larger than they were supposed to be. Those issues could have potentially led to “devastating consequences,” he says, including the “compromise [of] power and air pressure on the planes.”

Shortly after Cuevas filed a complaint with the Federal Aviation Administration’s ethics department and brought the safety issues up with his superiors, however, he found himself out of a job. Now, Cuevas and his lawyers have filed complaints with the FAA, as well as with the Occupational Health and Safety Administration (OSHA), urging the government to launch an investigation into Dreamliner forward pressure bulkheads and asserting that Cuevas suffered “unlawful retaliation.”