NY Times report paints negative picture of North Charleston Boeing Plant, Boeing responds: On Sunday, the New York Times published a scathing report on the Boeing South Carolina Dreamliner plant in North Charleston.

Following a "review of hundreds of pages of internal emails, corporate documents and federal records," the Times claims that "[f]aulty parts have been installed in planes. Tools and metal shavings have routinely been left inside jets, often near electrical systems. Aircraft have taken test flights with debris in an engine and a tail, risking failure."

The Times also reported on allegations that whistleblowers and employees who spoke up about these alleged issues were sometimes "retaliated against."

That same day, Boeing publicly released a letter from Brad Zaback, vice president and general manager of the 787 program, to Boeing workers claiming that the "New York Times story paints an inaccurate picture of Boeing South Carolina." 

"This article features distorted information, rehashing old stories and rumors that have long ago been put to rest," Zaback said. "The allegations of poor quality are especially offensive to me because I know the pride in workmanship that each of you pours into your work every day."

The Boeing VP also noted that reporters from the Times were invited to visit the North Charleston facility,but declined. 

This isn't the first time that allegations have surfaced regarding so-called shoddy work at the South Carolina Dreamliner site. In 2014 the Seattle Times reported that "Boeing 787 Dreamliner fuselage sections from North Charleston, S.C., have arrived at the Everett [Wash.] final assembly line seriously incomplete with wiring and hydraulics lines missing."

Last month, Defense One reported on an appearance by U.S. Air Force acquisition chief Will Roper in which he noted that "tools and parts to be left inside tankers delivered to the U.S. Air Force."  The tankers in question are the Boeing KC-46 Pegasus, a military transport and refueling aircraft, built at Boeing's Everett site.

While the aerospace industry predates the Boeing Dreamliner plant in North Charleston in 2011, the sector took off after the 787 plant's arrival. Today, aerospace has an annual economic impact of $19 billion in the Palmetto State, with 22,000 workers employed in the industry, according to the S.C. Department of Commerce. 

From 2010-2017, the aerospace core has grown by 13% in South Carolina; subtracting Boeing, the core has by 5.1%, according to S.C. Aerospace, an industry cluster supported by S.C. Commerce on the S.C. Council on Competitiveness. 

Over 7,000 men and women are employed by Boeing South Carolina 
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