Boeing Whistleblower, Who Raised Concerns About Shoddy Work On Max Jets, Found Dead Amid Lawsuit Against Company

John Barnett, a former Boeing employee who had raised concerns about the company’s production standards, has been discovered dead. Prior to his passing, he had been providing testimony in a whistleblower lawsuit against the company.

Boeing is one of the leading manufacturers of airplanes, defense products and space systems.

In a report released on Monday, the Charleston County coroner confirmed the circumstances of Barnett’s death and cited a “self-inflicted” wound that took place on March 9. Local authorities have an investigation underway.

Focus on Boeing’s manufacturing quality intensified after two Max jets crashed in within a year.

Barnett worked for the American manufacturer for three decades before he retired due to health reasons in 2017.

While employed, Barnett served as a quality manager at the North Charleston plant, which manufactured the cutting-edge 787 Dreamliner, a wide-bodied jet airliner primarily used for long-haul flights. In 2019, he came forward to the BBC to reveal that under pressure, workers had deliberately fitted substandard parts onto aircraft while the production was in process.

Barnett expressed his worry that the emphasis on meeting production deadlines had compromised safety protocols, an allegation refuted by the company. Furthermore, he disclosed instances where workers failed to follow proper procedures for tracking components which resulted in the disappearance of defective parts. He claimed that substandard parts were sometimes taken from scrap bins and installed on planes to prevent production delays.

Barnett also revealed that tests showed a failure rate of 25% and indicated that one in four masks might not deploy in real-life emergencies. While he reported his concerns to management, he alleged that no action was taken, a claim that Boeing denied. However, a 2017 review by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) did validate some of Barnett’s concerns and noted that 53 “non-conforming” parts were unaccounted for in the factory.

Boeing was subsequently instructed to take corrective measures. In response to the issue with oxygen cylinders, the company admitted that it had identified faulty bottles from a supplier in 2017 but vehemently denied that any of them were ever actually installed on aircraft.

After his retirement, Barnett initiated a lengthy legal battle against Boeing and accused the company of tarnishing his reputation and impeding his career due to the issues he had raised. Boeing has consistently rejected these allegations. At the time of his death, Barnett was in Charleston for interviews related to his case.

Last week, he provided a formal deposition and was questioned by Boeing’s legal team before he was cross-examined by his own counsel. Further questioning had been scheduled for Saturday, but when Barnett failed to appear, authorities were alerted, which led to the discovery of his lifeless body in his truck at the hotel parking lot.

Barnett’s attorney described his death as “tragic,” and Boeing extended its condolences to his family and friends. This death occurs at a time when both Boeing and its major supplier, Spirit Aerosystems, face intense scrutiny about its production standards.

This heightened scrutiny follows an incident in early January that involved an unused emergency exit door that detached from a brand-new Boeing 737 Max shortly after take-off from Portland International Airport. A preliminary report from the National Transportation Safety Board revealed that four crucial bolts, designed to secure the door, were not properly fitted.