Boeing Whistleblower Found Dead After Raising Safety Concerns
John Barnett, a former Boeing employee and whistleblower, was found dead in his truck in a hotel parking lot in South Carolina in 2024. The cause of death was initially reported as a self-inflicted gunshot wound, but the exact circumstances surrounding his death remain unclear.
Barnett had been working at Boeing for over three decades before retiring in 2017. However, he continued to speak out against the company's practices, alleging that they were prioritizing profits over safety and quality control.
One of Barnett's main concerns was with the oxygen system on board the 787 Dreamliner aircraft, which he claimed could leave passengers without oxygen in case of a sudden cabin decompression. He also alleged that Boeing had blocked him from investigating this issue further.
Barnett's allegations were substantiated by an investigation conducted by the FAA in 2017, which found that Boeing had indeed failed to follow proper tracking procedures at its South Carolina plant, allowing defective parts to be used on production lines. The FAA ordered Boeing to take corrective action and implement new measures to prevent similar incidents in the future.