Boeing Whistleblower Alleges Defective Parts Hidden from FAA

A former quality assurance inspector at Boeing's Renton facility has come forward with allegations of defective parts being hidden from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). Sam Mohawk, who has worked at Boeing for over a decade, claims that non-conforming parts were not properly tracked and documents were changed or destroyed to conceal this information.

Mohawk made these allegations in his Occupational Safety and Health Administration complaint filed in June 2024. He stated that after the 737 MAX returned to service, the volume of non-conformance reports rose sharply, with hundreds of parts, including large items such as rudders, being lost from tracking systems.

The Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations released a staff memo summarizing Mohawk's points shortly before a hearing with Boeing's then-CEO. The allegations were also featured in the Netflix documentary 'Freefall: A Reckoning for Boeing', which examines quality-control problems at the company.