Boeing Whistleblower found dead in his car

Whistleblower John Barnett, known for raising concerns about the quality control of Boeing aircraft, was found dead in his car in South Carolina while testifying in a lawsuit against the American Giant that same week.

John Barnett worked for 32 years at Boeing. From 2010 to 2017, he was the quality control manager on the Boeing 787 Dreamliner project in South Carolina. During his years at Boeing, Barnett raised several internal questions and concerns about the quality of maintenance and aircraft manufacturing and, after its reform, brought these concerns to the public. Bernett retired in 2017 after his doctor informed him that work-related stress would eventually cause him to have a heart attack.

During his retirement, the former Boeing employee brought to the public several concerns he had already raised internally but had been ignored by his superiors. Bernett brought to the public information about overworked employees, failure to provide adequate maintenance on aircraft, metal debris left inside aircraft near electrical systems during manufacturing, compromising their safety, and failures in the oxygen system of the Boeing 787 Dreamliner. The FAA later confirmed Several of these concerns in reports and investigations.

In the week of March 12, according to his lawyer, John Bernett was testifying in a defamation lawsuit against the American giant. According to local police, he was found dead in his car on March 9 from a wound caused by a self-inflicted bullet. Boeing released a statement mourning the death of its former employee.