John Barnett
He testified against Boeing – whistleblower found dead in hotel parking lot
Just last week, a Boeing 777 lost a tire and the moment was captured by a plane spotter
© DPA
John Barnett, a former employee of the breakdown manufacturer Boeing, had reported safety problems several times. After his last statement in court, he is now said to have taken his own life.
John Barnett worked as an engineer for 32 years Boeing worked before retiring in 2017. For health reasons. He had repeatedly made headlines about his work as a quality manager – because he denounced the company’s mistakes. Now he was found lifeless between two court dates.
On Saturday, the 62-year-old was discovered in his car in the parking lot of his hotel, the undertaker for the North Charleston district in the US state of South Carolina said at a press conference on Monday. He died from a gunshot wound, which is believed to have been self-inflicted, the spokesman said. However, the police are investigating.
Boeing whistleblower: Lawyer apparently doubts suicide
This may also have something to do with the circumstances. Barnett testified in a lawsuit against Boeing just last week and was questioned by the company’s lawyers. His lawyer does not seem to be convinced of his client’s suicide and spoke of an “allegedly” self-inflicted injury. His death was “tragic,” he told several media outlets.
Barnett became known as a whistleblower after he pointed out some dramatic security deficiencies at his former employer in 2019. He told the BBC that Boeing had deliberately installed parts that did not meet safety standards. Some of the parts were even taken from scrap piles and then installed. He also pointed out dramatic deficiencies with the aircraft’s oxygen systems: They had an extremely high error rate in internal tests. One in four oxygen masks could therefore not work in an emergency, Barnett explained at the time.
Barnett took on Boeing
During his work for the company, he pointed out the deficiencies several times internally, but his superiors did not act accordingly. Barnett suspected cost reasons as the motive. Boeing had denied the allegations, but an external investigation by the authorities had partially confirmed the deficiencies.
After his dismissal, he also took legal action against his former employer. Barnett accused the company of damaging his reputation and thus his career. This was also the context in which his statement last week came about. Another survey was scheduled for Saturday. But because Barnett didn’t show up, people looked for him – until he was discovered in the hotel parking lot.
Boeing has problems
The court hearing comes at an inopportune time for Boeing: The company only made headlines in January after an Alaska Air plane lost a safety door in the middle of a flight. The Boeing 737 Max had just entered service. As a result, serious defects were found in several other machines. Last week, the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) submitted a report after a six-week investigation that found Boeing had committed several quality control violations. The company now has 90 days to make adjustments.
The last few days have shown that the problems are not a thing of the past: On Thursday, a Boeing 777 lost a wheel during takeoff in San Francisco – it was the second time this year. On Monday, a “technical problem” caused 50 people to be injured in turbulence on a flight to Auckland, and more than a dozen even had to be taken to hospital.