A former Boeing supervisor who raised security questions in regards to the plane maker has been discovered useless exterior a resort in South Carolina, based on native authorities.
The physique of John Barnett, 62, was discovered Saturday in a automobile exterior a Vacation Inn, affected by what the Charleston County Coroner’s Workplace mentioned gave the impression to be a self-inflicted gunshot wound. The Louisiana resident was pronounced useless on the scene.
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Police in Charleston mentioned detectives had been ready for a proper willpower of the reason for loss of life and “any extra findings which may shed additional gentle on the circumstances surrounding” the top of Barnett’s life. Police famous “the worldwide consideration this case has garnered.”
Barnett was a longtime Boeing worker and labored as a quality-control supervisor earlier than he retired in 2017. Within the years after that, he shared his issues with journalists.
“John was deeply involved in regards to the security of the plane and flying public, and had recognized some critical defects that he felt weren’t adequately addressed,” Barnett’s brother, Rodney, mentioned in a household assertion to The Related Press on Tuesday. “He mentioned that Boeing had a tradition of concealment and was placing income over security.”
Rodney Barnett mentioned working at Boeing created stress for John.
“He was affected by PTSD and anxiousness assaults because of being subjected to the hostile work surroundings at Boeing, which we imagine led to his loss of life,” the brother mentioned.
Boeing, in a one-sentence assertion, mentioned, “We’re saddened by Mr. Barnett’s passing, and our ideas are together with his household and pals.”
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Consultants say the explanations folks take their very own lives are difficult, and that current will increase in suicides could possibly be pushed by a number of elements, together with greater charges of despair and restricted entry to mental-health providers.
In 2019, Barnett informed The New York Instances about high quality points at Boeing’s manufacturing facility in South Carolina, the place the 787 jetliner is assembled.
Barnett mentioned he discovered discarded steel shavings close to wiring for the flight controls. He mentioned it may have been “catastrophic” if the sharp items had pierced the wiring. He mentioned after he complained to superiors, they moved him to a different a part of the plant.
Barnett informed the BBC that very same yr that as much as 1 / 4 of the oxygen programs on the 787 – a two-aisle aircraft that airways use largely for worldwide flights – won’t work due to defective components put in on the Boeing plant. Boeing denied the declare.
Barnett filed a whistleblower grievance with the federal government, which remains to be pending. A listening to on the case was scheduled for June.
Boeing’s manufacturing practices have been questioned each on the 787, a mannequin known as the Dreamliner, and the corporate’s best-selling aircraft, the 737 Max. The corporate has come below elevated scrutiny since a panel blew off a 737 Max throughout an Alaska Airways flight in January.
For these struggling with despair and suicide ideation, or if somebody you understand is struggling, name or textual content the Nationwide Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 988 or discover them on-line at https://988lifeline.org.
James Pollard in Columbia, South Carolina, contributed to this report.