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During his 12 years as a quality inspector at Spirit AeroSystems, Santiago Paredes prided himself on speaking his mind when he found errors.
Mistakes have been pervasive at the Wichita, Kan., Spirit plant that employed Paredes, where the company builds large sections of Boeing planes, including the entire fuselage of the 737 MAX.
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Paredes’ bosses appreciated his attention to detail — to a point. But when he relentlessly pointed out manufacturing flaws, Paredes says, supervisors labeled him “a showstopper,” ignored his findings and pushed along flawed fuselages to Renton.
Paredes, worried a plane would crash due to known defects, quit and moved his family of five out of Wichita to “restart my life without Spirit in it,” the 41-year-old said. But his concerns followed him.
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