New allegations: Boeing installed many faulty parts on 737 Max planes, whistleblower alleges

The claims were made public by a US Senate subcommittee in a memo to members after which Boeing said it’s reviewing the details.

Boeing mishandled and lost track of hundreds of faulty parts which the planemaker later installed on new 737 Max planes, it was alleged by the company's quality inspector. The latest revelations by a whistleblower pointed out possible misconduct at the company and were detailed in a June 11 complaint by Boeing inspector Sam Mohawk with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration.

An American Airlines Boeing 737 MAX 8 flight from Los Angeles approaches for landing at Reagan National Airport. (Reuters)

What Boeing said on the new claims

The claims were made public by a US Senate subcommittee in a memo to members after which Boeing said it’s reviewing the details. Boeing said in a statement, “We continuously encourage employees to report all concerns as our priority is to ensure the safety of our airplanes and the flying public."

The complaint alleged that as of last year Boeing lost as many as 400 faulty 737 Max aircraft parts and deleted records for many of those. These parts were damaged or inadequate components that are supposed to be tracked, disposed of or repaired. No records were maintained for the same as well, the complaint alleged.

The whistleblower also alleged that Boeing “intentionally hid” improperly stored defective parts from the US Federal Aviation Administration ahead of an inspection.

This comes as US Senate’s Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations is set to hear testimony from Boeing Chief Executive Officer Dave Calhoun after the panel opened a probe into the planemaker following a near-catastrophe in January when a fuselage panel blew off a 737 Max shortly after takeoff.

Staff from the panel said in a memo that documents and whistleblower accounts collected by the panel thus far “paint a troubling picture of a company that prioritizes speed of manufacturing and cutting costs over ensuring the quality and safety of aircraft."

The FAA said in a statement that it "strongly encourages anyone with safety concerns to report them. We thoroughly investigate every report, including allegations uncovered in the Senate’s work.”