John Barnett, a former Boeing employee who raised concerns about safety practices at the company, was found dead on Saturday in South Carolina. He was 62 years old. Barnett, who worked for Boeing for over three decades before retiring in 2017, had been a vocal critic of the company's production standards. He alleged that unqualified workers were installing faulty parts on airplanes and that Boeing prioritized production speed over safety.
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These allegations came to light in 2019, when Barnett spoke to the BBC about his observations at a Boeing plant in South Carolina. He expressed particular concern about the 787 Dreamliner, worried that oxygen systems might malfunction in emergencies.
Barnett's death comes at a time when Boeing is still grappling with the fallout of two deadly crashes involving its 737 MAX aircraft in 2018 and 2019. The crashes, which claimed a total of 346 lives, were attributed to software flaws in the planes' flight control systems.
The Charleston County Coroner's office ruled Barnett's death a suicide by gunshot wound. However, the circumstances surrounding his death remain under investigation by local police. Boeing released a statement expressing condolences to Barnett's family but did not comment on the specifics of the whistleblower lawsuit.