Former Boeing Employee Who Raised Safety Concerns Found Dead Amid Company's Legal Turmoil

A former Boeing BA employee known for raising safety concerns has been found dead.

What Happened: A former Boeing employee, John Barnett, who had voiced concerns about the company’s production practices, was found dead, as reported by the BBC on Monday.

Barnett, who had a 32-year tenure with Boeing until his 2017 retirement, died from a self-inflicted wound on Mar. 9, confirmed by the Charleston County coroner. Barnett had been actively participating in a whistleblower lawsuit against Boeing at the time of his death.

During his career, Barnett raised alarms about compromised safety and sub-standard parts being used in the 787 Dreamliner’s production at the North Charleston plant. He had reported a high failure rate in emergency oxygen systems, which Boeing contested, though some of his concerns were validated by a 2017 Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) review.

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After his retirement, Barnett accused Boeing of damaging his reputation and hindering his career due to his disclosures, leading to ongoing legal action. His death occurred while he was in Charleston for legal proceedings related to the case.

Why It Matters: Barnett’s death adds to the scrutiny on Boeing and its supplier Spirit AeroSystems regarding production standards. This follows a recent incident involving a Boeing 737 Max, where an emergency exit door detached in flight due to missing bolts, as per a preliminary report by the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board. The FAA’s recent audit also highlighted several quality control compliance failures by the company.

Recent reports have put Boeing under a harsh spotlight, with U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg stating that the FAA will rigorously assess Boeing after a fuselage blowout on an Alaska Air Group Inc flight in January. Buttigieg emphasized the need for “an enormous amount of rigor” in dealing with Boeing and regulatory issues.

The company has also faced trust issues from the public following the Alaska Airlines incident, with some passengers refusing to board the Boeing 737 Max over safety fears.

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