Security flaws published
Boeing whistleblower found dead
March 13, 2024, 4:17 a.m
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John Barnett has worked at Boeing for 32 years. A 62-year-old former Boeing manager had raised the alarm several times about alleged safety deficiencies at a former employer. Now he has apparently taken his own life.
A former Boeing manager who had repeatedly publicly criticized the company for alleged safety problems has been found dead in the USA. The police in Charleston said 62-year-old John Barnett probably killed himself in front of a hotel in South Carolina, citing “the worldwide attention” that the whistleblower had attracted. Barnett’s body was discovered in his car in a parking lot.
Barnett was a longtime Boeing employee and worked as a quality manager before leaving the company in 2017 after 32 years. Since then, he has shared his concerns with journalists about what he sees as inadequate conditions in the production of Boeing aircraft. “John was deeply concerned about the safety of the aircraft and the people flying and had identified some serious deficiencies that he felt had not been adequately addressed,” Barnett’s brother Rodney told The Associated Press. “He said Boeing maintained a culture of silence and put profit over safety.”
In the days before his death, Barnett testified in court that he had previously filed a whistleblower complaint with the US government, according to his lawyer. Boeing released a one-sentence statement: “We are saddened by the death of Mr. Barnett and our thoughts are with his family and friends.”
In 2019, Barnett told the New York Times about quality problems at the Boeing factory in South Carolina, where the 787 jetliner used by airlines primarily for international flights is assembled. He found metal shavings near flight control cables. Barnett said at the time that it could have had “catastrophic consequences” if the sharp chips had damaged the wiring. After he complained to his superiors, he was transferred to another part of the plant.
That same year, he told the BBC that up to a quarter of the oxygen systems in 787 aircraft may not be working because of faulty parts being installed at Boeing’s factory. Boeing denied this claim.
Boeing’s production quality has been questioned for years. On January 5, a panel on a 737 Max 9 broke off the fuselage during flight, causing a life-threatening situation for passengers that required an emergency landing.