Boeing Whistleblower John Barnett, Who Raised Doubts About Production Standards at Dreamliner Factory, Found Dead

A former Boeing manager who raised concerns about the plane maker’s shoddy production standards at its North Charleston 787 Dreamliner factory was found dead on March 9.
The cause of death appears to be a self-inflicted wound, the Charleston County Coroner said.
John Barnett had been giving evidence in a whistleblower lawsuit against Boeing and was slated for a  third day of testimony but didn’t appear in court. Inquiries were made at his hotel and he was then found dead in his truck in the hotel car park, a police report stated. He had worked at Boeing for over 15 years, according to information on his LinkedIn profile.
Mr. Barnett was cited in a New York Times story that contended that the North Charleston plant, one of two that produces the Dreamliner, had faced problems with production and oversight that created a threat to safety. In some instances, faulty parts had been installed on some of the planes and metal shavings were often left behind inside finished aircraft. The Times’ story was based on the paper’s review of hundreds of pages of internal emails, corporate documents, and federal records, as well as interviews with more than a dozen current and former employees.
The Times’ story revealed a culture that often valued production speed over quality.
One employee cited in the article, Joseph Clayton, said that he “told my wife that I never plan to fly on it,” referencing the Dreamliner.
Mr. Bartlett was said to have “discovered clusters of metal slivers hanging over the wiring that commands the flight controls.”
Had the sharp metal pieces –  produced when fasteners were fitted – penetrated wires, it could have been “catastrophic,” Mr. Barlett told the paper.
With problems with both the 787 Dreamliner and the Boeing 737 Max models, Boeing’s reputation is in tatters at the present time.
“As a quality manager at Boeing, you’re the last line of defense before a defect makes it out to the flying public,” Mr. Barnett said in the Times story. “And I haven’t seen a plane out of Charleston yet that I’d put my name on saying it’s safe and airworthy.”
Mr. Barlett was a graduate of the California State University, Long Beach, with a major in computer engineering and a minor in computer science. He was the co-chair of the student chapter of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, or IEEE.
(Photo: Accura Media Group)