John Barnett was found dead on Saturday March 9, 2024. After retiring in 2017, he initiated legal proceedings against his former employer Boeing, which he accused of building planes without respecting all safety standards.
John Barnett died at the age of 62 on March 9, 2024. This former Boeing employee, who worked for 32 years at the aircraft manufacturer, had acquired the position of whistleblower after denouncing problems in the equipment safety. An investigation was opened after his death. According to the BBC , he committed suicide.
The company reacted, expressing its “sadness” . In 2010, John Barnett was positioned as quality manager in the factory manufacturing the 787 Dreamliner, the aircraft manufacturer’s new long-haul aircraft.
A testimony a few days before his death
In 2019, the employee reported to the BBC that employees, under pressure, were forced to work quickly, disregarding device safety standards. Thus, according to John Barnett, certain defective parts were deliberately placed on planes under construction so as not to slow down their exit from the factory. He also raised safety concerns regarding the operation of oxygen masks. He assured that he had alerted within the company, but no action was taken.
Boeing denied all these accusations. When he retired in 2017, John Barnett initiated legal proceedings against the company. The week before his death, he came to testify in Charleston (South Carolina) during a hearing in the presence of Boeing’s lawyers.
Serial incidents
He had to answer new questions on Saturday March 9, the date his body was found in his vehicle, in the parking lot of his hotel. His lawyer described his death as “tragic” .
In recent weeks, Boeing has been in turmoil again, recalls AFP . American civil aviation, which conducted an audit of the production process of its 737 MAX plane, following an incident during an Alaska Airlines flight in January, revealed dozens of shortcomings, reported Monday March 11 the New York Times. Other aircraft have been affected by in-flight problems: a “technical incident” occurred on a Dreamliner flying to New Zealand , causing severe turbulence and injuring many passengers. On March 7, a Boeing 777 made an emergency landing in Los Angeles after losing a tire from one of its wheels during takeoff .
