Boeing whistleblower John Barnett found dead in truck from ‘self-inflicted’ injuries
12 March 2024, 09:14
A Boeing whistleblower who exposed alleged safety problems at the company has been found dead in his truck from ‘self inflicted’ injuries.
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John Barnett was found dead in a hotel car park in South Carolina where he had been due to testify against his former employer.
Last week Mr Barnett, 62, who worked as a quality manager at a Boeing plant in North Charleston making the 787 Dreamliner, had given a formal deposition in which he was questioned by the company’s lawyers.
He was found dead in a hotel car park after he did not appear for further questioning on Saturday.
The coroner said he died from a ‘self-inflicted’ wound on March 9. Police are investigating.
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Boeing said: “We are saddened by Mr Barnett’s passing and our thoughts are with his family and friends.”
Mr Barnett had exposed alleged failings in the company’s manufacturing process claiming that employees had deliberately fitted substandard parts to planes because of pressure to produce them quickly.
The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) forced Boeing to take remedial action in 2017.
He went on to sue the company for allegedly denigrating his character and hindering his career progression because he had identified problems at the factory.
He failed to turn up for a cross-examination by his own lawyers on Saturday.
Boeing is under intense scrutiny after a section of an Alaska Airlines plane’s fuselage fell off mid-flight over Oregon in January. The plane was forced to return to the ground after the cabin rapidly depressurised and passengers are suing the airline and manufacturer.
A recent FAA investigation found “multiple instances” where Boeing and one of its suppliers “allegedly failed to comply with manufacturing quality control requirements”.
