Ex-Boeing Inspector Claims Scrapyard Parts Were Used In Assembly Lines

Image: Travis Dove/Bloomberg
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Key Takeaways:

  • A former Boeing quality control manager alleges the company incorporated "scrapyard parts" into 787 Dreamliner assembly lines for over a decade, with an estimated 50,000 parts bypassing quality control.
  • The whistleblower, Merle Meyers, claims these deficiencies were intentional, organized efforts to meet aggressive production timelines.
  • While Meyers believes the use of "scrapyard parts" has stopped, he alleges the incorporation of other unauthorized parts continues.
  • This new complaint comes amidst a significant surge in whistleblower reports against Boeing, with over 100 employees coming forward this year alone.
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In the latest blow to Boeing, another whistleblower has come forward alleging that the company has been incorporating “scrapyard parts” into its factory assembly lines for more than a decade.

Merle Meyers, a former Boeing quality control manager, told CNN that workers in the company’s 787 Dreamliner factory in Everett, Washington, “routinely took parts that were deemed unsuitable to fly out of an internal scrapyard and put them back on factory assembly lines.” Meyers estimates that some 50,000 parts bypassed quality control and were incorporated into aircraft assembly.

According to Meyers, the deficiencies he observed were intentional, organized efforts by Boeing to meet aggressive production time lines.

Meyers, who left the company last year, says he doesn’t believe Boeing continues to use scrapyard parts; however, he alleges that the practice of incorporating other unauthorized parts into assembly lines continues.

Meanwhile, whistleblower complaints continue to surge as a new report shows more than 100 employees have come forward since the beginning of the year. In comparison, 2023 showed a total of 11 reports.

Amelia Walsh

Amelia Walsh is a private pilot who enjoys flying her family’s Columbia 350. She is based in Colorado and loves all things outdoors including skiing, hiking, and camping.
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