(TargetDailyNews.com) – The troubles for aircraft manufacturer Boeing get deeper by the day as yet another whistleblower has come forward to claim the company is using substandard parts that put flyers’ safety at risk.
Sam Mohawk, who works at the company, told the U.S. Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations that his employer can’t seem to keep its eye on parts that aren’t up to par. Committee member Richard Blumenthal, a Democrat from Connecticut, released the information from Mohawk. Mohawk works in quality assurance for Boeing’s plant in Renton, Washington.
According to the whistleblower, Boeing did not have a secure chain of custody for parts labeled as substandard. As a result, he said, bad parts were getting a “second chance” and were being placed on the company’s popular 737 narrow-body passenger jets. The 737 is the most widely used aircraft in the world.
Using these parts could “lead to a catastrophic event,” according to the Senate subcommittee’s statement. Mohawk also submitted a complaint to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA).
Blumenthal characterized Boeing as having a “culture that continues to prioritize profits” above the safety of its workers, passengers, and flight staff. The Senator says Mohawk told investigators that his company supervisors pressured him to cover up the problems to avoid scrutiny by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). The employee believes the company is retaliating against him.
Boeing said the company is investigating Mohawk’s claims. In a public statement, the manufacturer said it encourages its staff to report all safety concerns, and that the company’s priority is the safety of “the flying public.”
Mohawk is not the first whistleblower from Boeing to make the news recently. Former Boeing employee John Barnett, a quality control worker, was found dead in March. Though the coroner ruled his death suicide by gunshot, not everyone is convinced. His family said they hold the aircraft manufacturer responsible even if their loved one took his own life. Barnett had been part of a lawsuit against Boeing at the time of his death.
Another former employee turned whistleblower died in May of what is described as a swift and severe infection.
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