Boeing employee John Barnett, who blew the whistle on company misconduct, has been discovered deceased | US News
A former Boeing employee who exposed safety concerns at the aircraft manufacturer has been found deceased in the US.
John Barnett, a quality manager for Boeing for 30 years before retiring in 2017, passed away on Saturday from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound, according to a coroner in South Carolina as reported by the BBC.
The news of Mr. Barnett’s death was first reported by the BBC, which mentioned that he had been providing evidence in a whistleblower lawsuit against Boeing shortly before his death.
In 2019, Mr. Barnett had disclosed that a significant number of oxygen systems could be defective and may not function during emergencies.
He also alleged that faulty parts were intentionally installed on planes in a rushed assembly process where safety protocols were compromised.
Boeing refuted these accusations.
The BBC also revealed that Mr. Barnett was scheduled to undergo further questioning in the whistleblower case on the day of his death but did not appear. He was subsequently found deceased in his vehicle at the hotel where he was staying.
His attorney described Mr. Barnett’s death as “tragic”.
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His passing occurs as Boeing deals with a series of safety incidents. Recently, 50 individuals were harmed in an airplane due to a “technical” problem mid-flight.
In February, the head of the Federal Aviation Authority (FAA) in the US criticized the current safety system at Boeing as ineffective and announced increased oversight and reviews of the company’s practices.
This followed a mid-flight incident in January where a door plug blew off a Boeing 737 MAX 9 Alaska Airlines aircraft.
MAX 9 planes in the US were grounded for approximately three weeks for emergency inspections, and Boeing initiated broader checks across its facilities and suppliers.
