Another Boeing Whistleblower Claims 737 Aircraft Defects

Two former whistleblowers who worked for Spirit AeroSystems in Kansas have died under mysterious circumstances (apparent suicide and a battling shocking infection virus), and now a third has stepped forward.

   Whistleblower was nicknamed the "showstopper" because of his scrutiny

According to the BBC,  Santiago Paredes also worked at the Kansas plant of the former Boeing subsidiary, and the former Air Force technician has stepped out into the limelight.

He told the BBC he often found up to 200 defects on parts he was inspecting before they were shipped to Boeing. According to the BBC:

He was accustomed to finding "anywhere from 50 to 100, 200" defects on fuselages - the main body of the plane - that were due to be shipped to Boeing, he said."

  Boeing came under even more scrutiny earlier this year when the door cover over an unused passenger entry exit blew off in flight from a 737 MAX headed from Portland, OR to CA. He is part of a lawsuit brought against the company by upset shareholders, in the lawsuit he is known only as Former Employee 1.

Spirit was formerly part of Boeing and is still its primary parts supplier. Spirit officials strongly denied Paredes' allegations in a statement earlier this year.

  According to the BBC:

After he protested, he said, he was demoted and removed to another part of the factory."

 After appealing to HR and the former CEO of the Company, he was partially reinstated and received some of his lost back pay. However, a short time later he resigned.

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    Pareres gained the nickname "The Showstopper" because his flagging of defective parts would slow up the production line process. He claimed he, and others, were encouraged, and even 'pressured' into letting many of the defects slide because it would cost more money and shed back light on the company.

  Boeing has said it stands by its partner, and Spirit officials have again pushed back on his claims. However, following the Portland, OR door blowout, FAA and other Federal inspectors found Boeing did not follow stringent maintenance guidelines and could not supply mandated 'paper trails' of all required maintenance records.

   Paredes now says he is reluctant to fly on a 737, because it could contain defective parts from the Kansas plant.