John Barnett raised concerns about the safety of Boeing aircraft. Now the important witness in the trial against the aircraft manufacturer has been found dead. Almost at the same time, the US aviation authority reported that Boeing aircraft were failing safety tests.
John Barnett worked for the aircraft manufacturer Boeing for 32 years. Before retiring, he worked as a quality manager at a factory in the USA where 787 Dreamliner aircraft are built. It was Barnett who revealed in 2019 that there were serious safety defects in the production of the machine, which was considered state-of-the-art.
According to the whistleblower, the aircraft construction work takes place under great time pressure. In order to avoid delays in production, inferior parts were sometimes deliberately installed on the assembly line. There are also serious problems with the emergency oxygen systems. These have an error rate of 25 percent. In an emergency, it could be that one in four oxygen masks didn’t work at all.
Barnett also said he has made members of management aware of his concerns. But they didn’t do anything. Boeing denies the whistleblower’s statements.
Last week, Barnett, 62, testified against his former employer in a Charleston court, according to British radio and television broadcaster BBC. He was cross-examined by Boeing lawyers, among others.
The whistleblower was scheduled to appear in court again on Saturday. When he didn’t show up, inquiries were made at his hotel. Barnett was then found dead in his truck in the hotel parking lot. According to medical examiners, he died of a “self-inflicted gunshot wound.”
His lawyer described Barnett’s death as “tragic” to the BBC. Boeing also expressed its condolences to the family.
Boeing fails safety tests
The case is another in a long series of scandals involving the world’s second largest aircraft manufacturer. New allegations against Boeing have just come to light. As the New York Times first reported, Boeing has failed numerous safety tests conducted by the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). Specifically, the Boeing 737 Max failed 33 of 89 tests. Boeing did not immediately comment on the results.
The FAA began investigating an accident involving a Boeing 737-8 Max in early January. Their conclusion after the six-week investigation is devastating: The problems affect the entire manufacturing process of the aircraft manufacturer and one of its most important suppliers.
The authorities found on several occasions that approved manufacturing processes, procedures and instructions had not been followed. For example, a hotel card is said to have been used to check a door seal.
The instructions to the mechanics were also “vague and unclear”. A survey of six engineers revealed that they did not understand quality control processes well enough. According to the New York Times, authorities found a total of 97 cases of alleged violations.
There have been repeated accidents involving Boeing aircraft in recent months and years. Just on Monday, at least 50 people were injured on a Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner scheduled flight between Australia and New Zealand. Due to a technical problem, the plane was shaken violently. “People were flying through the cabin,” a passenger told a New Zealand radio station.