Feds Assail Sikorsky’s Quality

Published: Monday, December 11, 2006 - 23:00

In a letter from Navy Capt. Dorothy J. Freer to Sikorsky president Jeffrey Pino, the oversight agency criticized Sikorsky’s reliance on subcontractors and recommended suspending activity at one subcontractor, according to a recent story from the Associated Press.

In regard to Sikorsky’s attempts to increase its business, Freer wrote, “I am concerned what impact the increase in volume will have on military aircraft quality, schedule and cost.”

Freer further condemned the “culture at Sikorsky” as a root cause of quality defects, saying, “It appears that management oversight is out of control.”

Edward Stedham, a spokesman for Sikorsky, said most of the concerns focused on Crestview-Aerospace, a subcontractor in Florida, and that Sikorsky has increased the number of quality control inspectors at that plant from six to 15.

Sikorsky sued the Defense Contract Management Agency in U.S. District Court in Washington a year ago in an attempt to prevent the release of documents regarding Black Hawk helicopter inspections and has sent its plan for corrective action to the agency.

For more information, visit http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/C/CT_SIKORSKY_COMPLAINTS_CTOL-?SITE=CTDAN&SECTION=NORTHEAST&TEMPLATE=.

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