“Don’t fly a Dreamliner” says former Boeing Quality Manager

[Scr77]

'I've begged my family not to fly Dreamliners': Former Boeing quality manager blows the whistle

A whistleblower who worked for Boeing for almost 30 years says his concerns about the company's Dreamliner planes were brushed off and he has begged his family not to fly on them "because I know what's under the skin".

www.abc.net.au

I thought the headline was a beat up, but there seems to be substance.

showing on 7.30 abc now.

 

[I love to travel]

Hmm I just wonder what happens at Airbus? They still managed to make profits.

 

[V Singh]

Hopefully its not a B 737-Max saga on repeat / in denial!!!

 

[drron]

This is old news.

A Top Executive at Boeing’s Troubled South Carolina Plant Is Out (Published 2019)

David Carbon’s departure follows a New York Times article that detailed shoddy production and weak oversight at the company’s 787 Dreamliner factory in North Charleston.

www.nytimes.com

 

[mannej]

There have been safety claims about the 737NG previously as well - A Wing and a Prayer

 

[Quickstatus]

At least the QF 787s are made in Seattle

 

[Himeno]

At least the QF 787s are made in Seattle

All the -10s are made at Charleston. Seattle and Charleston each make half of the -8s and -9s.
Some airlines have refused to take 787s built at Charleston.

 

[Happy Trails]

How many of the 900 odd 787s in service have crashed so far?
I'd have thought if it were so fatally flawed a few would have gone down, or come close to doing so, by now. - putting aside the early battery issues.
And anyway, what's so bad about dying in an aircraft crash (compared to other, much more likely, untimely deaths)?

 

[Himeno]

How many of the 900 odd 787s in service have crashed so far?
I'd have thought if it were so fatally flawed a few would have gone down, or come close to doing so, by now. - putting aside the early battery issues.
And anyway, what's so bad about dying in an aircraft crash (compared to other, much more likely, untimely deaths)?

939 delivered. Other then some problems with the early aircraft (battery issues and some wiring issues around ELBs) and issues relating to the Trent 1000 engine, there doesn't appear to have been any major issues with the type.

 

[teammongo]

Not new..
Boeing has lost its way..

The Boeing factory in Charleston, SC won $800M USD in subsidies. A non aviation town, with an under skilled and non unionised workforce, propped up by massive subsidies - what could possibly go wrong

Aljazerra take on Boeing's woes..

Also the USAF rejected the KC-46 tanker (based on 767) twice for QC issues.. (built in Everett) - Same problems of quality control, picked up externally by USAF.

USAF rejects KC46

TM

PS Dunno about crashing being the initial quality indicator

 

[p--and--t]

How many of the 900 odd 787s in service have crashed so far?
I'd have thought if it were so fatally flawed a few would have gone down, or come close to doing so, by now. - putting aside the early battery issues.
And anyway, what's so bad about dying in an aircraft crash (compared to other, much more likely, untimely deaths)?

According to the whistle blower/quality inspector's comments, he expected the flaws to impact operations around 8-10 years of flying which is roughly 2020-2022 for the first years full production.

 

[juddles]

I am not denying that Boeing has some problems - have been devout in my concerns with the 737 MaX.

But regarding this guy, my idea of a "whistle blower" is someone who screams very loud very early. Someone who risks everything for a moral position. Not someone who joins the throngs at a later date....

It appears from his own stuff that he told his family not to fly certain aircraft whilst he was employed as a "quality manager". Yet he continued to work there and draw a wage. Now he has left he has become a "whistle blower".

Again, not saying he has nothing to say, but it is now a cast of thousands of ex-employees that have seemed to get airtime....

And as usual, it appears the "journalist" has used the usual methods of tying some of his comments to "admissions" by the airline that actually relate to other matters.... All in a clever way that does not specifically tie two points together, but expresses both points and allows the reader to think they are about the same... (This gives them an "out" when they get sued)

 

[sudoer]

Here's the 7.30 episode for anyone catching up: 7.30: Tuesday 28/1/2020

 

[coco50]

Hopefully its not a B 737-Max saga on repeat / in denial!!!

The Dreamliner has been in service since 2012

 

[lonewolf]

I havent really kept track, but i had a couple of mates tell me they always try to book Airbus flights these days as majority of these faults / issues seems to occur only with Boeing, is that true?

 

[Snowant]

I had heard whispers about the South Carolina factory and abyssmal quality standards previously. This confirms what I'd heard. A poorly educated workforce, poor literacy and poor understanding of the idea of quality and risk, and it goes right up the line. A terrible work culture. Boeing has a disaster on its hands.

 

[UP4014]

Old news although it was raised a while back. Hopefully after which Boeing got on top of it.

Airbus have a factory in China, they say for Chinese domestic use but over time no doubt that will expand and we will see some quality issues catching up.

 

[V Singh]

The Dreamliner has been in service since 2012

As @p--and--t has highlighted above quoting the whistle blower, " the flaws to impact operations around 8-10 years of flying which is roughly 2020-2022 for the first years full production." Happy to be proven wrong

 

[gazza48]

At least the QF 787s are made in Seattle

I have a feeling I read somewhere that some of these are assembled in North and South Carolina as well as Seattle. Might be wrong but I believe Qatar only wanted aircraft made and assembled in Seattle after a few issues came to light about work done down that way due cost cutting etc...

 

[Cryptarcadian]

But regarding this guy, my idea of a "whistle blower" is someone who screams very loud very early. Someone who risks everything for a moral position. Not someone who joins the throngs at a later date....

It appears from his own stuff that he told his family not to fly certain aircraft whilst he was employed as a "quality manager". Yet he continued to work there and draw a wage. Now he has left he has become a "whistle blower".

According to the ABC News article, he raised the issues with the FAA in 2017 after he failed to get a satisfactory response from Boeing? And the FAA investigated and substantiated more than one of the issues.

I don't see it as only being whistle-blowing when you tell the media. Going to the competent authority for the matter, after trying your company's internal channels, sounds very much like blowing the whistle to me.

I haven't had a chance to watch the full 7.30 episode yet. Is there more to the timeline?