Curtiss-Wright Exposed for Defective Aircraft Engines

In July 1943, the Truman Committee reveals that the Curtiss-Wright Corporation’s Wright Aeronautical plant in Lockland, Ohio has been systematically supplying defective aircraft engines to the Army Air Force. The scandal involves conspiracy and collusion with AAF inspectors and becomes an inspiration for Arthur Miller’s play “All My Sons.”

The Company’s Power

By WWII, Curtiss-Wright held more defense contracts than any organization except General Motors and had become “something of a bully,” using lobbyists, legislators, friends in high places, and overzealous salesmen to get what it wanted.

The Investigation

In January 1943, the Truman Committee received complaints from Army inspectors at Wright Aeronautical Corporation alleging improper inspection practices resulting in faulty materials and engines being delivered to the government. Army inspectors told Truman they were being encouraged to ignore proper procedures and approve faulty materials and entire engines.

The committee found that Wright’s Lockland plant was:

• Falsifying tests on airplane engines
• Destroying records
• Forging inspection reports
• Changing tolerances allowed on parts
• Skipping inspection operations
• Selling leaky motors covered up with forged reports

Military Complicity

The military had protected the company by removing inspectors who attempted to block flawed parts from being installed in airplanes. Army Air Forces technical adviser Charles W. Bond was dismissed in 1943 for “gross irregularities in inspection procedure” after he had been “wined and dined” by Wright company officials.

Consequences

In 1944, three Army officers - Lt. Col. Frank Constantine Greulich, Major Walter A. Ryan, and Major William Bruckmann - were charged with neglect of duty, conspiracy, and giving false testimony in a general court martial. All three were convicted of neglect of duty.

The War Department sued Wright Aeronautical Corporation for damages related to faulty aircraft engines and named ten company executives as having conspired to defraud the government.

Political Impact

The investigation helped propel Senator Truman into the vice presidency and eventually the White House. In March 1943, Time Magazine featured “Investigator Truman” on its cover, considerably raising his political profile. Truman made clear to colleagues they were not to seek publicity for their investigative work, maintaining the committee’s reputation for non-partisan oversight.

Pattern of Corporate Impunity

Despite endangering pilots’ lives through defective engines, the consequences for Curtiss-Wright executives were relatively minimal compared to the scale of fraud. The case exemplified how major defense contractors could defraud the government with limited accountability.