Seven people and two companies accused in flawed Boeing 787 parts probe

 ROME - Italian prosecutors have accused seven individuals and two companies of fraud and violating airplane safety regulations following an investigation into flawed Boeing 787 Dreamliner parts. The probe began in 2021 after Boeing flagged parts produced by subcontractors working for Italian aerospace giant Leonardo as improperly manufactured.  

 Reuters reports that the two companies involved in the investigation are Manufacturing Process Specification (MPS), and its now-bankrupt predecessor company Processi Speciali. Reuters reports that MPS owner Antonio Ingrosso and his father Vincenzo, who was in charge at Processi Speciali, are two of the seven people who have been arrested. The lawyers for the two men have said that they are “convinced that they have acted respecting the law fully.”  

 Investigators discovered that these two Italian subcontractors had used lower-cost, pure titanium and aluminum instead of more expensive alloys, to produce the parts. These materials meant that the airplane parts had significantly lower static and stress resistance characteristics, which has repercussions for the aircraft's safety. 

 Prosecutors in Brindisi have said that “the investigations concluded that some non-compliant structural components could, in the long run, create harm to the safety of the aircraft, requiring the U.S. company to initiate an extraordinary maintenance campaign of the aircraft involved." Over 4,800 titanium parts and more than 1,100 aluminum parts were found to be non-compliant.  

 Boeing and Leonardo have been recognized as victims in the case and have fully cooperated with the investigation. Both companies are working to rectify the situation.  

tjpw 

 

 © COPYRIGHT ITALIAN INSIDER
UNAUTHORISED REPRODUCTION FORBIDDEN