More corporate malfeasance

A federal lawsuit alleges that hundreds of Boeing jets made with "bogus" parts are unsafe and "must be grounded."


Documents made public in the whistleblower lawsuit filed against Boeing suggest that thousands of unsafe and unapproved parts have been installed on jets the company produced between 1994 and 2001 - and perhaps longer.

The scope of the Wichita, Kansas, federal case - which is focusing on parts supplied by Carson, California-based Ducommun - is limited to jets built for the government, but it is alleged that the flaws could threaten at least 1,600 commercial airplanes manufactured between 1994 and 2004, many of which are still flying. The suit alleges that Boeing knew the Ducommun parts were faulty but used them anyway.

In 2003, Boeing named Ducommun one of its top suppliers of the year.