WASHINGTON – A Navy whistle-blower uncovered critical welding problems on an aircraft carrier that could have caused aircraft to crash and kill or injure pilots and sailors, according to an Office of Special Counsel report released Monday.
The report, a summary of whistle-blower Kristin Shott’s concerns and the Navy’s investigation of them, said welding defects in the catapult hydraulic piping systems on the USS Kitty Hawk were similar to those found in 2002 aboard five other aircraft carriers. The catapults are used in launching aircraft from the ship.
Shott, a civilian welder at Naval Air Depot North Island in San Diego, identified problems with all the ships in multiple disclosures she filed with the special counsel after her managers did not look into her concerns.
Members of the military “depend on the integrity and safety of their equipment in ongoing operations around the world,” Special Counsel Scott Bloch said in a statement this week. “Ms. Schott’s decision to blow the whistle averted a potential catastrophic loss of life and equipment.”
The Office of Special Counsel receives and evaluates reports of problems from whistle-blowers and can refer such reports to federal agencies for investigation. The office also is supposed to protect whistle-blowers from retaliation in the workplace and safeguard the federal merit system.
After confirming Shott’s warnings, the Navy repaired the Kitty Hawk’s catapults in November 2004, the report said. The cost of the repairs was not listed, but a related Office of Special Counsel report in 2003 said it cost $468,000 to fix the faulty welding on the other five aircraft carriers.
The earlier investigation found that four civilian supervisors and one naval officer had been negligent in their duties. Three supervisors were orally admonished, one was suspended for three days, and the officer was issued a “nonpunitive letter of caution.” The new investigation determined that the same people were responsible for the problems on the Kitty Hawk, but officials did not seek new disciplinary action.
Investigators found no evidence to support Shott’s claims that Navy personnel in a variety of trades were unqualified to perform their duties.
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