Italian prosecutors have accused seven individuals and two sub-contractors of various crimes, including fraud and breaching airplane safety regulations. The accusations come after an investigation into suspected faulty parts produced by an Italian company for Boeing.
The investigation was initiated in late 2021 when Boeing revealed that certain parts for its 787 Dreamliner plane, supplied by a company working for Italian aerospace group Leonardo, had been improperly manufactured. Prosecutors discovered that two Italian sub-contractors had used cheaper and non-compliant forms of titanium and aluminum to produce these parts, resulting in significant cost savings on raw materials.
According to the prosecutors’ statement, this cost-cutting measure led to the production of airplane components with significantly lower static and stress resistance characteristics, posing risks to aviation safety. Aerospace experts working alongside the prosecutors identified over 4,800 non-compliant titanium components and more than 1,100 non-compliant aluminum components.
The prosecutors emphasized that these non-compliant structural components could potentially cause harm to aircraft safety in the long run. As a result, Boeing was compelled to initiate an extraordinary maintenance campaign for the affected aircraft. Both Boeing and Leonardo were considered victims of these alleged crimes and cooperated fully with the investigation.
The seven individuals accused along with the two sub-contractors will have an opportunity to present any new evidence in their defense before the prosecutors decide whether or not to request a trial judge’s involvement. Leonardo declined to comment on the matter while Boeing stated that it would provide comments at a later time.