Key Points
- Boeing whistleblower John Barnett has reportedly died aged 62.
- The former employee gave evidence in a lawsuit against the company in the days before he died.
- Barnett worked for Boeing for over 30 years and had raised concerns over the manufacturer's safety standards.
Former Boeing employee John Barnett, who blew the whistle on alleged safety issues at the company, has reportedly been found dead in the United States.
The 62-year-old had given evidence in a lawsuit against Boeing in the days before he died, according to the BBC.
The Charleston County coroner told the BBC that Barnett died from a "self-inflicted" wound on 9 March.
"We are saddened by Mr. Barnett's passing, and our thoughts are with his family and friends," Boeing said in a statement.
Barnett worked for Boeing for over 30 years, overseeing production and carrying out safety checks.
He retired in 2017 on health grounds.
In 2019, he told the BBC workers had been fitting sub-standard parts to aircraft, and that he had uncovered problems with oxygen systems.
He claimed tests had found one in four oxygen systems on the Boeing 787 could fail in an emergency.
He said he had reported his safety concerns to managers at the company, but no action was taken, and he eventually raised the issues with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).
Boeing denied his allegations.
In an interview with the ABC in January 2024, Barnett claimed Boeing had a culture of "speed and production".
"And any issues, any concerns that you bring up are going to slow them down."
Barnett's death comes as Boeing is under scrutiny for a series of incidents. On Monday, at least 50 passengers were injured after a dropped abruptly mid-flight from Sydney to Auckland.
In January, the FAA ordered the temporary grounding of certain Boeing 737 Max 9 aircraft after a cabin panel blowout forced an A.
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