
A former Boeing employee turned whistleblower has been found dead.
John Barnett, 62, reportedly died from a “self-inflicted” gunshot wound days after providing damning testimony in a lawsuit against the large airline manufacturer.
Barnett has shared his concerns in legal briefs and during an interview with TMZ. In the TMZ interview, Barnett accused Boeing of “not doing due diligence to ensure that door plugs on 737 planes were installed properly.”
His comments are revelatory as in January, faulty door plugs contributed to the door of a Boeing-made 737 coming off during a flight from Portland, Oregon, to southern California.
NEW: 62-year-old Boeing whistleblower John Barnett found dead in his truck after he didn't show up for a legal interview linked to a case against Boeing.
Barnett worked for Boeing for 32 years and retired in 2017. After retiring, Barnett spoke out about how Boeing was cutting… pic.twitter.com/k3zOqH0REv
— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) March 11, 2024
During the interview, Barnett noted that in 2012, Boeing removed inspection teams from assembly lines, thus leaving mechanics to inspect their own work — a protocol, Barnett argued, that is problematic.
In 2019, Barnett told the BBC that Boeing workers were ordered to “fit sub-standard parts” into key aircraft components as they moved through “the production line.”
Barnett retired from Boeing after 32 years of service. During his last seven years with Boeing, he served as a quality manager at the North Charleston plant known for producing the 787 Dreamliner.
The Guardian reported that during a recent deposition, Barnett stated that when he found “clusters of metal slivers hanging over flight control wiring on several planes,” he asked upper management for permission to remove them. Boeing administrators, however, refused and “moved him to another part of the company’s plant.”
Notably, just days ago, dozens of passengers on a flight from Australia to New Zealand were injured when a 787 Boeing-made plane encountered “technical difficulties.”
In recent testimony, Barnett shared his concerns regarding Boeing administrators giving the green light to install what he believed were faulty oxygen systems. The whistleblower stated the systems often underperformed by 25%.
Barnett also shared that workers were pressured and rushed to meet quotas, thus making it impossible to “track components through the factory and allowing components to go missing.”
Also startling was testimony that at times, “substandard parts” were removed from scrap bins and “fitted to planes…to prevent delays on the production line.”
The quality manager shared that administrators disregarded his concerns. “Safety was compromised,” he testified.
Days after the startling revelations, Barnett was found dead.
Barnett has been engaged in a multi-year legal battle with Boeing, asserting the airline giant has “denigrated his character” and “hampered his career” since he began revealing safety issues.
At the time of his death, Barnett was in Charleston for a new series of legal proceedings linked to the case. He gave a deposition last week and was to engage in further questioning last Saturday. Authorities were called to do a welfare check at the hotel where he was staying when he did not appear.
Barnett was found dead in his truck in the hotel parking lot.
A Boeing statement read: “We are saddened by Mr. Barnett’s passing, and our thoughts are with his family and friends.”