A whistleblower given the nickname “Showstopper” for revealing defects on Boeing planes claims the company is producing “ticking time bombs”.

Santiago Paredes, who spent 12 years as a production inspector with Boeing supplier Spirit AeroSystems, said he identified hundreds of issues on what were meant to be finished products.

“I saw missing parts, incomplete parts, frames that had temporary clamps and missing fasteners, dents in the parts, damaged parts, cut rivets, issues that might occur but should be fixed before they got to me,” he told the New York Post.

“Everything I was seeing was like a ticking time bomb… I also was afraid to look at the news every day and see that something had happened to a plane in the air.”

Mr Paredes, who left the company in 2022, alleged that he came under pressure to keep reports on the defects to a minimum because his bosses “didn’t have time to fix the mistakes”.

They apparently gave him the nickname “Showstopper” because his writings on the production issues would delay deliveries to Boeing.

Boeing has been plagued by a series of issues with its planes, including crashes in 2018 and 2019 that killed 346 people.

In January, a door blew off an Alaska Airlines Boeing 737 Max 9 mid-flight, prompting an investigation by the US government. 

Around 20 former employees have given damaging reports about the aviation giant and its suppliers.

Roy Irvin, a Boeing quality investigator in South Carolina, claimed he “pushed back” almost every day on serious safety issues he found on 787 Dreamliner planes that had been cleared for flights.

He was often forced to be “insubordinate” because of how many times he called out these problems, Mr Irvin said.

“Missing safety devices on hardware or untightened hardware means that you’re not going to be able to control the aeroplane if those fail,” he told the newspaper.

“The safety device is on there. If the fastener is not secured correctly, it’s going to fall off and you’re not gonna be able to control the aeroplane.”

Mr Irvin worked alongside John Barnett, a Boeing whistleblower who was found dead on March 9 and had been giving evidence in a legal complaint against his former employer. A coroner later ruled he had shot himself.

Joshua Dean, another whistleblower who worked at Spirit AeroSystems, died suddenly in May after developing pneumonia.

Joe Buccino, a spokesman for Spirit AeroSystems, declined to comment on any specific allegations.

He told The Telegraph: “We encourage anyone at Spirit who has a concern, a question or a potential area for improvement to come forward. 

“There are many ways to raise a concern and we’ve streamlined the process through a QR code scanning system on the shop floor.”

A Boeing spokesman said: “Boeing takes very seriously any allegation of improper work or unethical behaviour.

“We continuously encourage employees to report concerns as our priority is to ensure the safety of our aeroplanes and the flying public, and we will take any necessary action to ensure our aeroplanes meet regulatory requirements.

“Boeing employees can anonymously report concerns through our Speak Up portal or directly to the FAA [Federal Aviation Authority].”

Both companies have been independently approached for comment by The Telegraph.