The Dakotan has recently learned two of the nation’s most prominent aviation safety whistleblowers, Ed Pierson (retired Navy officer and Boeing 737 Max senior manager) and Joe Jacobsen (retired FAA flight control engineer), have issued a formal letter to the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) warning of a serious and unresolved threat to public and military aviation safety.
At the heart of the letter is a massive gyroscope supply chain scandal tied to a long-closed electronics manufacturing facility in Dunseith, North Dakota, where critical components used in flight control systems, including the Honeywell GG1320 Digital Ring Laser Gyroscope, were allegedly mishandled, fraudulently refurbished, and re-entered into global aerospace supply chains under false pretenses.
According to Pierson and Jacobsen, evidence from North Dakota businessman Charles Hoefer, who purchased the former Benchmark Electronics site in 2022, suggests that tens of thousands of GG1320 units may have been improperly stored, reworked without oversight, or distributed through an off-books scheme that continued for years after the facility’s official 2015 closure. These sensors are used in nearly all modern Boeing and Airbus jets, military aircraft, missiles, and even spacecraft—making their integrity essential to flight safety.
The letter urges the NTSB to investigate any connection between this scheme and the recent spike in midair turbulence injuries, uncommanded control incidents, and fighter jet crashes. It also questions why federal agencies including the FAA and Department of Defense, have failed to notify the public, despite extensive evidence collection from the Dunseith site by IRS, Army CID, and DoD officials throughout 2023. Pierson and Jacobsen compare the situation to the 2023 AOG Technics parts fraud scandal, warning that the Dunseith case could pose an even greater risk.
With growing concern from lawmakers and whistleblower advocates, pressure is building for federal action. Hoefer, who says he was sold the factory under false pretenses and then targeted when he went public, hopes this letter will finally break the silence. It is just the next phase of this situation that has stalled at the state level following Hoefer's intent to sue Department of Commerce and North Dakota Development Fund employees.
Stay tuned to The Dakotan for more coverage following the Dunseith Debacle situation going forward, and be sure to check out our past coverage as well.
