A former Boeing supervisor who flagged considerations concerning the plane producer’s high quality requirements was discovered useless in South Carolina on Saturday.
John Barnett, 62, was discovered useless in his truck at a resort automobile park in Charleston, simply days after he began giving a proper deposition in a authorized motion in opposition to Boeing, the BBC first reported.
The Charleston County coroner’s workplace mentioned in a press release that Barnett had died from “what seems to be a self-inflicted” wound, per a number of information shops resembling The Hill.
Boeing instructed Enterprise Insider in a press release: “We’re saddened by Mr Barnett’s passing, and our ideas are along with his household and associates.”
Police are investigating Barnett’s loss of life. He labored for about 32 years at Boeing earlier than retiring in 2017, and for a time, was a top quality supervisor at a North Charleston manufacturing plant for the 787 Dreamliner.
At this submit, Barnett mentioned he noticed worrying indicators of slipping requirements at Boeing, saying that the producer was speeding to assemble its plane.
“I have never seen a airplane out of Charleston but that I might put my identify on saying it is protected and airworthy,” Barnett instructed The New York Occasions in 2019.
That 12 months, he instructed the BBC {that a} check in 2016 for 300 oxygen techniques confirmed {that a} quarter of them did not deploy. Barnett additionally alleged that he knew of a minimum of one case on the plant the place employees used elements from scrap bins to suit planes on the manufacturing line.
In January, Barnett instructed TMZ of circumstances the place inspectors got solely two hours to seek out defects in a provider’s merchandise, considerably hampering their means to conduct correct checks.
Boeing has denied Barnett’s allegations and mentioned that whereas it discovered some faulty oxygen techniques, as Barnett reported, it eliminated them from manufacturing so that they weren’t deployed on any plane.
The Federal Aviation Administration visited the Charleston facility and located that greater than 50 “non-conforming” elements had been lacking, showing so as to add credibility to Barnett’s claims of elements from scrap bins getting used, per the BBC.
Barnett was resulting from proceed deposition, lawyer says
Barnett had filed an AIR21 case in opposition to Boeing, saying it undermined his profession as a result of he had raised security considerations on the Charleston plant. The AIR21 is a legislation defending airline security whistleblowers.
Barnett’s lawyer, Brian Knowles, mentioned the previous Boeing supervisor was speculated to report for the third day of his deposition on Friday, per the Company Crime Reporter.
He was questioned by Boeing’s legal professionals on Thursday after which cross-examined by Knowles on Friday, however did not present up or reply to calls on Saturday, Knowles mentioned.
Barnett’s legal professionals requested his resort to verify on the whistleblower, and he was discovered useless in his automobile, Knowles instructed the Company Crime Reporter. The BBC reported the identical particulars surrounding Barnett’s loss of life.
Knowles didn’t instantly reply to a request for remark despatched outdoors common enterprise hours by Enterprise Insider.
Boeing has, in latest months, come beneath scrutiny over security considerations in its 737 Max planes after an Alaska Airways flight in January had a door plug blown out of its fuselage whereas within the air.
The New York Occasions reported on Monday, citing a set of presentation slides, that Boeing had lately failed 33 out of 89 FAA product audits for its 737 Max manufacturing.
On Monday, a minimum of 50 passengers had been injured when a Boeing 787 Dreamliner run by Latam Airways dropped instantly resulting from a technical situation. The 787 is the plane that Barnett labored on on the North Charleston facility.
