A Boeing whistleblower was found dead of a self-inflicted wound inside his car outside a hotel in Charleston, South Carolina.
John Barnett was found dead on March 9. He worked for Boeing for 32 years until he retired in 2017.
Barnett came forward expressing concerns about defective parts and serious problems with oxygen masks.
The whistleblower told the BBC that “sub-standard parts had even been removed from scrap bins and fitted to aircraft under construction to avoid delays on the production line”.
“It further said that tests of emergency oxygen systems to be fitted to the 787 showed a 25% failure rate, meaning one in four may fail to deploy in a real-life emergency.” – the BBC reported.
The BBC reported:
A former Boeing employee known for raising concerns about the company’s manufacturing standards has been found dead in the United States.
John Barnett worked for Boeing for 32 years, until his retirement in 2017.
In the days before his death, he had testified in a lawsuit against the company.
Boeing said it was saddened by the news of Mr. Barnett’s passing. The Charleston County coroner confirmed his death to the BBC on Monday.
The 62-year-old was said to have died from a “self-inflicted” wound on March 9 and police were investigating.
Barnett worked for the American airline giant for 32 years, until his retirement in 2017 for health reasons.
Barnett’s apparent suicide comes after several Boeing planes were grounded due to serious problems with the plane’s construction.
A United Airlines Boeing 737 Max 8 suffered undercarriage failure late Friday and crashed off the runway at Houston’s George Bush Intercontinental Airport.
Friday’s undercarriage failure comes a day after a United Airlines Boeing 777 plane was forced to make an emergency landing after losing a tire during takeoff.
The United plane was taking off from San Francisco when one of the six tires came off the plane, damaging several cars in the parking lot. The flight was diverted to LAX where it landed safely.
In January, a large chunk of an Alaska Airlines Boeing 737 MAX exploded in mid-air.
The plane door flew off as Boeing focused on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) hiring practices over passenger safety.