John Barnett worked for Boeing for 32 years as a quality manager until his retirement in 2017. He came forward to share his concerns about Boeing’s production standards at its North Charleston 787 Dreamliner factory.
Barnett was found dead on March 9 from a self-inflicted wound. His death was confirmed by the Charleston County Coroner.
The BBC reported the death of Barnett. In an email to the news outlet, Boeing said it was “saddened” to hear of Barnett’s death. It said the company’s thoughts “are with his family and friends.”
In the days leading up to Barnett’s suicide, he gave evidence in a whistleblower lawsuit against Boeing. He was due to undergo further questioning on Saturday. Barnett didn’t show up for that meeting so inquiries were made at this hotel. He was found dead in his truck in the hotel parking lot.
In 2019, Barnett was one of several whistleblowers to raise concerns over the company’s manufacturing process, claiming the rush to complete aircraft meant safety was compromised as workers were pressured to cut corners and install sub-standard parts for the planes.
Barnett, who also said he uncovered issues with aircraft oxygen systems and had found sharp metal shavings near flight control wiring, claimed he repeatedly raised his concerns with managers but that he was ignored and moved to another part of the factory.
Is Hillary Clinton on the board of Boeing? I kid. Kinda.
Boeing’s manufacturing problems have been in the news lately. Stories have been reported about dangerous failures and plane parts falling off during flights. And there are stories about maintenance problems. Pilots report problems with the aircraft.
Barnett turned whistleblower in 2019 when he spoke to the New York Times. He pointed to various production problems in an interview.
In 2019, Barnett was cited in a New York Times story saying that the North Charleston factory, one of two plants that makes the 787 Dreamliner, had faced problems with production and oversight that created a safety threat. Faulty parts had been installed in some of the planes, and metal shavings were often left inside the jets, the NYT reported. Barnett said he found clusters of metal slivers hanging over the wiring that commands flight controls, the report said.
The same year, he told the BBC that under-pressure workers had been deliberately fitting sub-standard parts to aircraft on the production line.
On January 5 a blowout of a door plug happened on a 737 Max 9 operated by Alaskan Airlines shortly after takeoff. Fortunately, there were no injuries and the plane landed safely.
Boeing claims it cannot locate any records of the work performed on the panel that failed. It suggests the company’s procedures were not followed. Last month U.S. regulators gave Boeing 90 days to devise a plan to fix what were labeled “systemic” quality control problems. The Justice Department opened a criminal investigation into the Alaska Air incident.
Whistleblowers display a great amount of personal courage. Unfortunately for the 62-year-old Barnett’s family and friends, it appears the stress of the investigation or other personal problems overcame him. He spoke to media outlets after the January 5 blowout on the Alaskan Air plane.
Boeing is facing a reckoning with its full-blown crisis over safety and quality standards. Production has been curbed by U.S. regulators. This has led to delivery delays across the aerospace industry.
Rest in peace, Mr. Barnett.
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