Colorado Company Sues Boeing Alleging Theft of Tool Designs

A small, family-run Colorado tool manufacturer filed a lawsuit against Boeing last month, alleging that Boeing stole designs for specialized tools that the aerospace giant then used on NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS), the International Space Station (ISS), and its commercial aircraft programs. Wilson claimed that Boeing’s flawed versions of the tools caused leaks that cost NASA hundreds of millions of dollars — and endangered lives.

“Despite its long-standing commitment to finding innovative solutions for Boeing’s needs, Boeing rewarded Wilson’s efforts by brazenly stealing Wilson’s intellectual property relating to four iterations of Wilson’s flagship product, the Fluid Fitting Torque Device (‘FFTD®’), along with other tools Wilson invented, violating a litany of intellectual property laws along the way,” the lawsuit by Wilson Aerospace claims.

The tool manufacturer, based in Fort Collins, Colorado, consists of founder David Wilson, his wife, and his son, and has been operating since 1999. The company filed the lawsuit in US District Court for western Washington state.

Boeing has denied the allegation. “This lawsuit is rife with inaccuracies and omissions, and any suggestion that Boeing has put the safety of NASA astronauts at risk is false and outrageous,” a company spokesman told Parabolic Arc. “We will vigorously defend against these claims in court.”

The lawsuit claimed that Boeing approached Wilson in 2014 for a solution for how to install four RS-25 engines on the bottom of the SLS core stage.

“Because this space is narrow and confined, Boeing was unable to find a way to safely attach the engines to the SLS with the precise amount of torque,” the lawsuit reads. “After trying to resolve this issue for several years without success, Boeing approached Wilson in 2014 in search of the solution it had been searching for.”

Wilson Aerospace’s solution was the third generation of its flagship torque wrench, FFTD-3. After working with Boeing for two years, Wilson’s involvement in the SLS program was abruptly ended without explanation, after Boeing stole the design for FFTD-3, the company alleged.

The lawsuit alleges trade misappropriation of FFTD-3, its Torque Tester tool, and Dreamliner Bolting Tool. Wilson also claimed Boeing committed fraud, breached its contract, unjustly enriched itself, and violated the civil Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act.

“Boeing then began to willfully misappropriate and infringe Wilson’s IP, and to erase and expunge all records showing any relationship between Boeing and Wilson, despite documentation and witnesses who can easily and readily verify that Boeing and Wilson had a historical working relationship on a variety of projects other than the SLS engine installation,” the lawsuit continues.

“Worse, because Boeing covertly stole Wilson’s intellectual property without receiving the full instructions on how to properly build, install, and use it, several of the aerospace and aviation products built by Boeing are pockmarked with critical safety flaws that put lives at risk,” the lawsuit claimed. “This includes the astronauts, pilots, crews, and passengers who come aboard without knowledge of the unsafe equipment and vehicles manufactured by or at the direction of Boeing.

The lawsuit lists a number of specific accusations about how the misuse of the allegedly-stolen tool resulted in errors and damage.

“Boeing tightened fittings and valves on SLS using a mismatched group of components the company designed and those designed by Wilson Aerospace,” the court filing reads. “On information and belief, the mismatched tools have caused some fluid leaks that have continually delayed the SLS launch, costing NASA hundreds of millions of dollars while unjustly enriching Boeing through its cost-plus contract with NASA.”

Updated 7/10/2023 at 5:38 PM PDT with updated Boeing statement.