Gaslighting a 'common' practice alleges former Boeing investigator turned whistleblower -

CHARLESTON COUNTY, S.C. (WCIV) — Whistleblower Roy Irvin is speaking publicly on camera for the first time, and it's not because he wants to bring Boeing down.

Irvin says there are great people at the company who love building airplanes as much as he did and want to see Boeing succeed. But that can only happen if safety comes first.

Irvin worked alongside another whistleblower, John Barnett, who was found dead with a gunshot wound in Charleston after coming forward to voice major concerns about quality and safety. The cause of death was ruled a suicide. Irvin is on a mission to finish what Barnett started.

With a love for flying that runs deep, Irvin found his calling at Boeing South Carolina in 2009.

"I just love airplanes," he said. "I like the way they operate. I'm a mechanical guy."

From 2011 until 2017, Irvin was a quality investigator, helping make certain those brand new $250-million-dollar 787 Dreamliner planes were ready to take off. He knew what was at stake.

"Not only are there 300 people on some of those airplanes, but each one of those people has loved ones at home," Irvin said. "Mothers, fathers, children."

To protect those families, Irvin filed ethics complaints. He says there was too much focus on the bottom line, not safety.

"I've been a whistleblower my entire time at Boeing," Irvin said. "It just didn't really get any ears until recently."

"At times when I would see a problem and then we would try to pursue corrective action, my quality leadership would discourage us and would tell us not to write or pursue corrective actions," he continued.

When that happened, Irvin says he pushed back almost every time.

"I was told directly by a senior quality leader not to not to pursue a corrective action after I'd already agreed to do one," he said.

Irvin says problems on the 787's were ignored, canceled, or became other issues. He also says gaslighting was a common practice at the Boeing Company.

Burned out, Irvin left Boeing SC in 2020. He now chooses to live almost two hours from the closest commercial airport.

"I knew I would miss it," Irvin said. "I knew it'd probably be difficult, but I just needed a breath of fresh air."

Irvin didn't give up. His former colleague turned whistleblower Barnett was blazing a trail, standing up to Boeing. Irvin was ready to stand with him.

"(Barnett) was a lighthouse for the whistleblower activity," Irvin said. "He was probably the first one of the pioneers."

At the beginning of March 2024, Barnett was in the middle of a deposition.

There was intense pressure. Barnett worked as a quality manager at Boeing South Carolina for years and made serious allegations of safety issues against Boeing. He claimed he was retaliated against for doing so.

Irvin had just given his own deposition in Barnett's lawsuit when he learned his friend was dead. But just because Barnett died doesn't mean the lawsuit fell apart. Barnett's lawyers, Robert M. Turkewitz and Brian M. Knowles, say Barnett has the evidence to back up his claims. Both Turkewitz and Knowles now represent Irvin as well.

When asked if he thinks Boeing is too big to fail, Irvin said, "I don't know. So far, they have been they have been up to this point. I've heard that before. I think they need some serious regulatory intervention."

Irvin submitted a letter to the US Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Government Affairs outlining his concerns on April 19, 2024, as a part of the Boeing hearings in Washington, D.C.

In a statement, Boeing said, "Boeing takes very seriously any allegation of improper work or unethical behavior. We continuously encourage employees to report concerns as our priority is to ensure the safety of our airplanes and the flying public, and we will take any necessary action to ensure our airplanes meet regulatory requirements. Boeing employees can anonymously report concerns through our Speak Up portal or directly to the FAA."

According to Boeing, company records show Irvin regularly submitted concerns through Boeing's ethics reporting process and Boeing addressed them per process. After Irvin left in 2020, there have been changes at Boeing, such as the elimination of Multi-Function Process Performer (MFPP) program in 2021.

ncG1vNJzZmivmpawtcKNnKamZ56axLR7zZqroqeeYsSwvsudZp%2BnoqKys3nBqJyippditq%2FCxKyrop%2BRqbyzedOuqaedlGLEqbXSraOempykxKa%2BjKumsmWZp8Oquoysp56Zm6h6scHBpaCcpKlixKS11WaYoqqgoa6vsdJmnpqrnJ60qcDIp55mm5%2BiurC6jKmpmpuknrCmecClo56fkam2sLrSZqiumZyewbp50pqdnqypYrCwusKeqadlmqS1r3nBmqmnnaSpeqS0wKujnqukpLtuv86uq6Flk5a%2FsLjIp5g%3D