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Exclusive: Safety concerns dog Boeing 787
Al Jazeera Investigative Unit finds some workers with quality concerns, alleging drug use and fearing to fly the plane.
Will Jordan Last updated: 08 Sep 2014 10:41
http://www.aljazeera.com/investigat...-boeing-787-dreamliner-20149391617796902.html
[video=youtube]
Al Jazeera has found that some Boeing workers have serious concerns about the safety of the 787 "Dreamliner" aircraft.
In a new documentary, Broken Dreams: The Boeing 787, current and retired Boeing employees discuss their worries about quality control with Al Jazeera's Investigative Unit.
Boeing's 787 "Dreamliner", which made its first commercial flight in late 2011, has been dogged with problems since plans for its launch were announced in 2003.
Two battery failures in January 2013 sparked safety fears and led to fleets being temporarily grounded worldwide for over three months.
Boeing says it does not compromise on product safety or quality.
Whistleblower
A worker at one of two Boeing 787 assembly lines in Charleston, in the US state of South Carolina, contacted Al Jazeera's Investigative Unit to share his worries about the "Dreamliner".
The worker, speaking on condition of anonymity, says "with all the problems reported on the 787, there's 90 percent that's getting swept away".
He describes the troubles with the plane as "an iceberg". He claims only 10 percent of problems are visible to the flying public, with the rest "hushed up".
"I've seen a lot of things that should not go on at an airplane plant," the worker says. "It's been eating me alive to know what I know, and have no avenue, no venue to say anything."
In a statement to Al Jazeera, Boeing says that "787 airplanes delivered from both South Carolina and Washington final assembly and delivery operations meet the highest safety and quality standards that are verified through robust test, verification and inspection processes".
Ten of 15 'wouldn't fly'
Using a concealed camera, the worker films inside the Boeing South Carolina plant, recording his discussions with colleagues.
" The number one focus that we have at Boeing is ensuring the continued safe airworthiness of an airplane.
- Larry Loftis, Boeing Vice President and General Manager of the 787 "Dreamliner" Program "
He randomly asks 15 of his co-workers who assemble the 787 "Dreamliner" if they would fly on the plane. Ten say they would not.
"I wouldn't fly on one of these planes," one worker tells him, "because I see the quality of the fu**ing sh*t going down around here".
Another worker replies, "it's sketchy". Asked what he means, the worker adds, "yeah I probably would, but I kind of have a death wish too".
A third says of the 787s assembled at South Carolina, "we're not building them to fly. We're building them to sell. You know what I'm saying?"
Larry Loftis, Boeing Vice President and General Manager of the 787 "Dreamliner" Program, told Al Jazeera, "The number one focus that we have at Boeing is ensuring the continued safe airworthiness of an airplane, the integrity of the airplane and the quality of the airplane going out".
Drugs
The Boeing worker also says that he is concerned that some of his colleagues are on drugs, saying he has seen "people talking about doing drugs, looking for drugs", specifically marijuana, cocaine and prescription painkillers.
In the footage, he records one man saying: "It's all coke and painkillers" at the plant, adding, "you can get weed here, you can get some really good weed here".
Another complains that Boeing "don't drug test nobody", adding that "there's people that go out there on lunch and smoke one up".
In 2011, US federal agents raided a separate Boeing plant in Philadelphia as part of a drugs investigation. They arrested dozens of workers at the facility, which builds aircraft including the H-47 Chinook helicopter and the V-22 Osprey.
In a statement to Al Jazeera, Boeing says "drug testing of employees is done in accordance with Boeing policy and procedures across all facilities in accordance with applicable laws. Boeing thoroughly investigates any employee reports of policy deviation, and appropriate corrective action is taken if needed."
Memo
A memo obtained by Al Jazeera's Investigative Unit also shows that in 2010, Boeing altered its quality standards at a time when the 787 was already two years delayed.
The source of the memo, a veteran Boeing engineer, says it reveals that the company "changed basic engineering principles to meet schedule".
On seeing the document, another long-time Boeing engineer says "they're short-changing the engineering process to meet a schedule… I find that reprehensible".
Cynthia Cole, former president of Boeing's engineers union SPEEA, adds that she would no longer fly on a Boeing 787. "I've been kind of avoiding flying on a 787 and seeing this, I would definitely avoid flying on a 787."
Boeing says its memo is fully consistent with the company's robust quality assurance system. "While we will not discuss in detail our proprietary production processes, we note that the document itself concludes by saying that the process changes 'do not signify authorisation to ship or accept parts which do not meet engineering and quality requirements.' "
The company also says that it uses one, FAA-approved quality system for the 787 in both of its assembly plants.
Broken Dreams: The Boeing 787 is available from Wednesday, September 10 at aljazeera.com/Boeing787.
The documentary airs on Al Jazeera English at the following times: Wednesday, September 10 at 2000 GMT; Thursday, September 11 at 0100 GMT and 1200 GMT; Friday, September 12 at 0600 GMT; Saturday, September 13 at 2000 GMT; and Sunday, September 14 at 0100 GMT.
787 gets harsh scrutiny on Al Jazeera
Al Jazeera English takes a look at the 787’s troubled development, with some new twists. Also, three local retail giants rank high in opportunity for workers with a high-school education, and Chinese giant Huawei has a surprising answer to T-Mobile’s industrial espionage suit.
Seattle Times business staff
Originally published Monday, September 8, 2014 at 1:07 AM
http://seattletimes.com/html/businesstechnology/2024473735_sundaybuzz07xml.html
Boeing watchers may find that a documentary on the Dreamliner that debuts this week on Al Jazeera English, like the 787’s smoldering batteries in 2013, produces more heat than light.
Like those powerful and problematic lithium ion batteries, however, the documentary does raise troubling questions and leave some matters unresolved.
“Broken Dreams: The Boeing 787” is likely to attract a lot of eyeballs both here and in South Carolina, where workers at the North Charleston plant — recorded without their knowledge — express some disturbing opinions about the plane.
Much of the story is familiar:
• Boeing farming out production of major components across the globe.
• The July 2007 rollout of the first plane with great pomp, though it turned out to be unfinished, followed by more than two years of delays.
• The opening of a South Carolina final assembly plant after a bitter 2008 strike by Machinists here.
• The back-to-back battery problems in January 2013 that grounded the entire fleet of 787s for six months before Boeing and the Federal Aviation Administration produced a fix, but not a full explanation.
The elaborately produced 49-minute piece tells this story well, albeit with a clear critical agenda and a lack of technical specifics. If you’ve never seen a lithium ion battery get penetrated in slow motion by a bullet and burst into flames, this is your chance. It’s great TV, but viewers may wonder if it’s relevant — only the man who did that test suggests it is — given the very different chemistries and designs among various lithium batteries.
Where it seeks to break new ground is in the aforementioned secret recordings, and in a memo the producers say shows a decision to relax quality standards to meet the plane’s schedule.
The North Charleston workers, their faces and real voices obscured, casually toss off some serious trash talk about the company, their fellow employees and the plane.
It’s startling to hear. And Boeing will surely launch a scorched-earth investigation to nail down these commenters, as well as the employee who interviewed them.
And yet, when one of the South Carolina workers who complains about poor quality inspection is asked, “You think Everett is better?” his answer is a bit suspect: “I think Everett will do what’s right, to make the plane right. Because of the union, they have to. Here everyone is being pushed to meet this f***ing schedule.”
Experienced observers of the company will wonder whether this is one of the Everett workers dispatched to help get the Charleston plant on track. The question is legitimate, but it’s hard to evaluate the answer without knowing more about the source.
The same is true for a memo the documentary cites as proof that quality is being sacrificed to meet production targets. The dramatic presentation is undermined by a lack of detail. (The Seattle Times reviewed that memo earlier this year and concluded it was not proof that safety was being compromised for production’s sake.)
Unfortunately, Boeing doesn’t have much of a say. The company’s 787 chief, Larry Loftis, makes a brief interview appearance with the documentary makers before his PR manager stops the discussion, after the allegations of unnamed employees are brought up.
Before he exits, Loftis declares he has “the highest degree of confidence” in the plane and Boeing’s production system.
The documentary makers report the company later denounced their work as “in the worst tradition of tabloid-style television news.”
Viewers can judge for themselves when the documentary debuts on the Al Jazeera cable channel Wednesday. In the U.S., where relatively few cable systems carry Al Jazeera, the piece initially will be available only online at america.aljazeera.com.
Al Jazeera Investigative Unit finds some workers with quality concerns, alleging drug use and fearing to fly the plane.
Will Jordan Last updated: 08 Sep 2014 10:41
http://www.aljazeera.com/investigat...-boeing-787-dreamliner-20149391617796902.html
[video=youtube]
Al Jazeera has found that some Boeing workers have serious concerns about the safety of the 787 "Dreamliner" aircraft.
In a new documentary, Broken Dreams: The Boeing 787, current and retired Boeing employees discuss their worries about quality control with Al Jazeera's Investigative Unit.
Boeing's 787 "Dreamliner", which made its first commercial flight in late 2011, has been dogged with problems since plans for its launch were announced in 2003.
Two battery failures in January 2013 sparked safety fears and led to fleets being temporarily grounded worldwide for over three months.
Boeing says it does not compromise on product safety or quality.
Whistleblower
A worker at one of two Boeing 787 assembly lines in Charleston, in the US state of South Carolina, contacted Al Jazeera's Investigative Unit to share his worries about the "Dreamliner".
The worker, speaking on condition of anonymity, says "with all the problems reported on the 787, there's 90 percent that's getting swept away".
He describes the troubles with the plane as "an iceberg". He claims only 10 percent of problems are visible to the flying public, with the rest "hushed up".
"I've seen a lot of things that should not go on at an airplane plant," the worker says. "It's been eating me alive to know what I know, and have no avenue, no venue to say anything."
In a statement to Al Jazeera, Boeing says that "787 airplanes delivered from both South Carolina and Washington final assembly and delivery operations meet the highest safety and quality standards that are verified through robust test, verification and inspection processes".
Ten of 15 'wouldn't fly'
Using a concealed camera, the worker films inside the Boeing South Carolina plant, recording his discussions with colleagues.
" The number one focus that we have at Boeing is ensuring the continued safe airworthiness of an airplane.
- Larry Loftis, Boeing Vice President and General Manager of the 787 "Dreamliner" Program "
He randomly asks 15 of his co-workers who assemble the 787 "Dreamliner" if they would fly on the plane. Ten say they would not.
"I wouldn't fly on one of these planes," one worker tells him, "because I see the quality of the fu**ing sh*t going down around here".
Another worker replies, "it's sketchy". Asked what he means, the worker adds, "yeah I probably would, but I kind of have a death wish too".
A third says of the 787s assembled at South Carolina, "we're not building them to fly. We're building them to sell. You know what I'm saying?"
Larry Loftis, Boeing Vice President and General Manager of the 787 "Dreamliner" Program, told Al Jazeera, "The number one focus that we have at Boeing is ensuring the continued safe airworthiness of an airplane, the integrity of the airplane and the quality of the airplane going out".
Drugs
The Boeing worker also says that he is concerned that some of his colleagues are on drugs, saying he has seen "people talking about doing drugs, looking for drugs", specifically marijuana, cocaine and prescription painkillers.
In the footage, he records one man saying: "It's all coke and painkillers" at the plant, adding, "you can get weed here, you can get some really good weed here".
Another complains that Boeing "don't drug test nobody", adding that "there's people that go out there on lunch and smoke one up".
In 2011, US federal agents raided a separate Boeing plant in Philadelphia as part of a drugs investigation. They arrested dozens of workers at the facility, which builds aircraft including the H-47 Chinook helicopter and the V-22 Osprey.
In a statement to Al Jazeera, Boeing says "drug testing of employees is done in accordance with Boeing policy and procedures across all facilities in accordance with applicable laws. Boeing thoroughly investigates any employee reports of policy deviation, and appropriate corrective action is taken if needed."
Memo
A memo obtained by Al Jazeera's Investigative Unit also shows that in 2010, Boeing altered its quality standards at a time when the 787 was already two years delayed.
The source of the memo, a veteran Boeing engineer, says it reveals that the company "changed basic engineering principles to meet schedule".
On seeing the document, another long-time Boeing engineer says "they're short-changing the engineering process to meet a schedule… I find that reprehensible".
Cynthia Cole, former president of Boeing's engineers union SPEEA, adds that she would no longer fly on a Boeing 787. "I've been kind of avoiding flying on a 787 and seeing this, I would definitely avoid flying on a 787."
Boeing says its memo is fully consistent with the company's robust quality assurance system. "While we will not discuss in detail our proprietary production processes, we note that the document itself concludes by saying that the process changes 'do not signify authorisation to ship or accept parts which do not meet engineering and quality requirements.' "
The company also says that it uses one, FAA-approved quality system for the 787 in both of its assembly plants.
Broken Dreams: The Boeing 787 is available from Wednesday, September 10 at aljazeera.com/Boeing787.
The documentary airs on Al Jazeera English at the following times: Wednesday, September 10 at 2000 GMT; Thursday, September 11 at 0100 GMT and 1200 GMT; Friday, September 12 at 0600 GMT; Saturday, September 13 at 2000 GMT; and Sunday, September 14 at 0100 GMT.
787 gets harsh scrutiny on Al Jazeera
Al Jazeera English takes a look at the 787’s troubled development, with some new twists. Also, three local retail giants rank high in opportunity for workers with a high-school education, and Chinese giant Huawei has a surprising answer to T-Mobile’s industrial espionage suit.
Seattle Times business staff
Originally published Monday, September 8, 2014 at 1:07 AM
http://seattletimes.com/html/businesstechnology/2024473735_sundaybuzz07xml.html
Boeing watchers may find that a documentary on the Dreamliner that debuts this week on Al Jazeera English, like the 787’s smoldering batteries in 2013, produces more heat than light.
Like those powerful and problematic lithium ion batteries, however, the documentary does raise troubling questions and leave some matters unresolved.
“Broken Dreams: The Boeing 787” is likely to attract a lot of eyeballs both here and in South Carolina, where workers at the North Charleston plant — recorded without their knowledge — express some disturbing opinions about the plane.
Much of the story is familiar:
• Boeing farming out production of major components across the globe.
• The July 2007 rollout of the first plane with great pomp, though it turned out to be unfinished, followed by more than two years of delays.
• The opening of a South Carolina final assembly plant after a bitter 2008 strike by Machinists here.
• The back-to-back battery problems in January 2013 that grounded the entire fleet of 787s for six months before Boeing and the Federal Aviation Administration produced a fix, but not a full explanation.
The elaborately produced 49-minute piece tells this story well, albeit with a clear critical agenda and a lack of technical specifics. If you’ve never seen a lithium ion battery get penetrated in slow motion by a bullet and burst into flames, this is your chance. It’s great TV, but viewers may wonder if it’s relevant — only the man who did that test suggests it is — given the very different chemistries and designs among various lithium batteries.
Where it seeks to break new ground is in the aforementioned secret recordings, and in a memo the producers say shows a decision to relax quality standards to meet the plane’s schedule.
The North Charleston workers, their faces and real voices obscured, casually toss off some serious trash talk about the company, their fellow employees and the plane.
It’s startling to hear. And Boeing will surely launch a scorched-earth investigation to nail down these commenters, as well as the employee who interviewed them.
And yet, when one of the South Carolina workers who complains about poor quality inspection is asked, “You think Everett is better?” his answer is a bit suspect: “I think Everett will do what’s right, to make the plane right. Because of the union, they have to. Here everyone is being pushed to meet this f***ing schedule.”
Experienced observers of the company will wonder whether this is one of the Everett workers dispatched to help get the Charleston plant on track. The question is legitimate, but it’s hard to evaluate the answer without knowing more about the source.
The same is true for a memo the documentary cites as proof that quality is being sacrificed to meet production targets. The dramatic presentation is undermined by a lack of detail. (The Seattle Times reviewed that memo earlier this year and concluded it was not proof that safety was being compromised for production’s sake.)
Unfortunately, Boeing doesn’t have much of a say. The company’s 787 chief, Larry Loftis, makes a brief interview appearance with the documentary makers before his PR manager stops the discussion, after the allegations of unnamed employees are brought up.
Before he exits, Loftis declares he has “the highest degree of confidence” in the plane and Boeing’s production system.
The documentary makers report the company later denounced their work as “in the worst tradition of tabloid-style television news.”
Viewers can judge for themselves when the documentary debuts on the Al Jazeera cable channel Wednesday. In the U.S., where relatively few cable systems carry Al Jazeera, the piece initially will be available only online at america.aljazeera.com.
