A former employee of a Boeing contractor complained to US regulatory agencies on the 26th that he was fired after witnessing and reporting production quality issues with the Boeing 787 aircraft.
Richard Quavas was once an employee of Strom Airways, a contractor for Boeing's airframe supplier, Edge Aviation Systems, working at the Boeing plant in Everett, Washington. Lawyers have filed a complaint on behalf of him to the Federal Aviation Administration and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, stating that Quervas discovered that MobileJet had changed the manufacturing and assembly specifications (by changing the size of the holes) of the front pressure resistant bulkhead fasteners of the Boeing 787 aircraft without Boeing's permission. Kuevas filed a complaint with Boeing in October last year, stating that the related issues may have an impact on the aircraft's power and pressure.
According to a press release from the law firm, after expressing concerns about safety issues, Quavas and Boeing not only failed to prevent the defective manufacturing process, but also fired him. He requested the Federal Aviation Administration of the United States to conduct an investigation into the relevant issues.
Boeing issued a statement on the same day stating that it has investigated the relevant issues and stated that the company "will thoroughly investigate any new allegations.". Boeing has also stated that it has not been involved in supplier personnel decisions.
In January of this year, an accident occurred shortly after takeoff on a Boeing 737 MAX 9 aircraft operated by Alaska Airlines in the United States. A door stopper (embedded emergency door) on the side of the cabin fell off, and the Boeing aircraft has been experiencing continuous problems since then. Before Quivas, several whistleblowers had already exposed the quality issues of Boeing aircraft.