Topline
Boeing whistleblower John Barnett was found dead in a South Carolina parking lot just days after giving evidence against the company in a lawsuit against them, as the company faces increasing scrutiny over the safety of its aircraft.
Boeing whistleblower John Barnett was found dead this weekend.
Key Facts
Barnett, 62, was found dead in his truck in a hotel car park in South Carolina over the weekend, where he had been giving evidence against his former employer in a whistleblower lawsuit and had been expected to attend court for further questioning on Saturday.
The Charleston County coroner’s office in South Carolina said Barnett died from what appeared to be a “self-inflicted” wound on March 9, adding that local police are investigating.
Barnett was a Boeing veteran who worked at the company for 32 years until retiring in 2017, including seven years as a quality control manager at the South Carolina plant where it builds its 787 Dreamliner jet.
In 2019, Barnett was one of several whistleblowers to raise concerns over the company’s manufacturing process, claiming the rush to complete aircraft meant safety was compromised as workers were pressured to cut corners and install sub-standard parts for the planes.
Barnett, who also said he uncovered issues with aircraft oxygen systems and had found sharp metal shavings near flight control wiring, claimed he repeatedly raised his concerns with managers but that he was ignored and moved to another part of the factory.
After retiring, Barnett sued Boeing for allegedly retaliating against him for raising concerns—Boeing denies this and Barnett’s other claims, although some safety concerns were upheld by the Federal Aviation Authority in 2017—accusing the company of hampering his career progression and denigrating his character.
Key Background
Barnett had been in Charleston giving interviews for his whistleblower case against Boeing at the time of his death. He had already given a formal deposition to answer questions from Boeing’s lawyers and undergone cross-examination by his own legal team. He was due to undergo further questioning on Saturday but did not appear at court. In a statement, Boeing said it was “saddened” to hear of Barnett’s death and that its “thoughts are with his family and friends.”
News Peg
Barnett’s death comes as Boeing deals with increasing scrutiny over the safety of its aircraft and the quality control measures implemented when making them. At least 50 people were injured aboard a Boeing 787 Dreamliner operated by Chilean carrier LATAM on Monday after a technical issue caused the flight to suddenly plunge mid-air, throwing people out of their seats and smashing some passengers into the cabin ceiling. A Japan-bound United Airlines jet, a Boeing 777, was forced to make an emergency landing last week after a tire fell off during takeoff, smashing a car in the employee parking lot. The company is also facing a criminal probe after the door to a Boeing 737 Max 9 jet blew open mid-flight aboard Alaska Airlines Flight 1282 in January. That probe is due to feed into a review over whether the company complied with a settlement in a federal investigation into the fatal crashes of two Boeing 737 Max 8 jets in 2018 and 2019, which killed nearly 350 people.
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