Contractor charged with delivering faulty parts

AP via Navy Times ^ | 11 April 2002 | Adrian Sainz

[Excuse_My_Bellicosity]

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — A defense contractor has been charged with delivering spare parts without critical heat treatment, to save money. The omission could have caused plane crashes and weapon breakdowns, prosecutors said Thursday.

Parts supplied by Damon Industries Inc. that lacked the special hardening treatment were for F-18 and F-15 fighter jets, C-135 cargo planes, Cobra helicopters, Bradley armored personnel carriers, howitzers, mortars and .50-caliber machines guns, rifles and Navy ships, prosecutors said.

[Excuse_My_Bellicosity]

Anybody who endangers the lives of servicemen like this should go to a federal prison like Leavenworth. Anybody who does this during wartime should be tried by military tribunal and executed.

[Excuse_My_Bellicosity]

Ping!!

[caisson71]

If this proves to be true, I'll pull the switch. I have a 23 year old son in the military. I would prefer a firing squad of one - me.

[ken in texas]

If you can stand some company, count me in.

[JEC]

I need the target practice, Don't worry, it will be sloooow!

[afraidfortherepublic]

Outrageous fraud!

[FixitGuy]

Anyone receiving critical parts, (And ALL aircraft and most military parts are "critical") should be checked thoroughly by "Incoming inspection" as a double check against this type of thing.

Rockwell test etc. for hardness.

No excuse for this type of thing to occur repeatedly.

The Gov. requires tons of paperwork for stuff like this. Wonder if they actually check the PARTS.

Remember Apollo 13??

[SR71A]

In a just world that is what would happen -- but he'll get 18 months in a minimum security Fed prison, and spend most of his sentence playing tennis. Then he'll be released and start another company. Cynical? You bet -- but there's too much of this sort of crap going on. For every crook that's caught, there are 20 that just keep on ripping us off. The DOD can't figure out what happened to 3 trillion dollars that they've spent -- there's still too much fraud and corruption!

[tracer]

Go figure....

[Excuse_My_Bellicosity]

Agreed. They need to NDI (Non-Destructive Inspection) as many parts as practical. They should also pick a few parts out of each lot and test them to destruction. Obviously, this isn't possible with every part, especially the big expensive ones. But it should be done with nuts, bolts, shear pins, and other parts delivered in quantity.

Maybe they already do this. They did catch the contractor. I hope the feds nail his a** to the floorboards.

[norton]

I really hate to say this publicly but "Lopez" sure sound like someone who got his contracts based on set-asides and (they claim not) quotas.
I'll guarantee that such companies suffer less oversight (inspections, criticism, inspections) than do those who get their contracts the old fashioned wayby competing them, proving them, or quite possibly buying them!
Too bad when your kid finds out that the super-zoomy gizmo he or she was issued fails to work or [slightly worse] blows up on them.

[Willie Green]

for the process requiring parts to the baked, coated in oil, washed, dried and baked again to harden them

Well, I guess ya gotta give the reporter credit for at least trying to describe the process.

[Excuse_My_Bellicosity]

Agreed, there are contractors that abscond with the money they're paid without doing the work (or they do it real shoddy). In a lot of cases, the govt. won't prosecute if doing so costs them more than the cost of the job. And these skunks have the nerve to come back and bid on other jobs. I say prosecute them even if it is expensive. Take the money from welfare and other giveaway programs.

[FixitGuy]

"for the process requiring parts to the baked, coated in oil, washed, dried and baked again to harden them"

Well, I guess ya gotta give the reporter credit for at least trying to describe the process.

I agree. Sorta sounds like a process for those yummy but hard as nails Christmas cookies. (Springlies??)

[FixitGuy]

I memtioned Apollo 13 'cause I recall hearing that a vendor supplied a solenoid switch or a thermostat designed for the wrong voltage.

(True??)

[Excuse_My_Bellicosity]

I'm not sure if that was the exact cause, but it was something that small that caused the explosion and almost lost the astronauts.

[NMC EXP]

Well, I guess ya gotta give the reporter credit for at least trying to describe the process

Thats very kind of you. I thought he was describing a recipe for extra crispy fried chicken.

It's a hoot to listen to engineers of the iron bashing persuasion (no offense) talk about the mixing and processing of rubber and rubber components. Course they get their yucks when we talk metallurgy.

Always remember....."Don't rubber the wrong way."

Regards

J.R.

[Excuse_My_Bellicosity]

Thanks, seamole!!

[Excuse_My_Bellicosity]

Damn straight, I'll take the day off work and like it.

[Balding_Eagle]

Bingo!