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DannyB [soylentnews.org] writes:

Boeing whistleblower John Barnett found dead in US [independent.co.uk]

Barnett blew the whistle on alleged safety problems at Boeing and had been giving evidence in a lawsuit against the company

Boeing whistleblower John Barnett, 62, was found dead in his truck in a hotel parking lot in South Carolina over the weekend.

Mr Barnett blew the whistle on alleged safety problems at the aircraft manufacturing giant and had been giving evidence in a lawsuit against the company in recent days.

[....] Mr Barnett’s former employer, Boeing, has responded to his death, saying: “We are saddened by Mr Barnett’s passing, and our thoughts are with his family and friends.”

[....] In 2019, Mr Barnett alleged that Boeing intentionally used defective parts in its planes and warned that passengers on its 787 Dreamliner might face a lack of oxygen if a sudden decompression occurred.

[....] His attorney Brian Knowles told TMZ that he had doubts about the circumstances of his death.

Boeing whistleblower John Barnett found dead [washingtonpost.com]

Barnett’s whistleblower complaint against the company has been pending for several years, according to court documents

John Barnett, 62, was a quality manager who retired in 2017 after several decades with the company. He died March 9 of what appeared to be a self-inflicted gunshot wound [...]

[....] Barnett’s whistleblower complaint has been pending for more than seven years, according to a 2022 order denying Boeing’s motion to dismiss the case.

[....] Barnett originally filed a complaint with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration in January 2017 alleging that Boeing retaliated against him. After nearly four years, the agency concluded that there was no retaliation, a decision that Barnett appealed about three years ago. His case has been pending since then, as the two sides have gone through discovery and prehearing motions.

[....] In orders last fall and winter holding Boeing to deadlines to turn over evidence in the case, the judge suggested the company was foot-dragging, saying its efforts to identify records of other retaliation complaints by workers at its Charleston plant “are woefully lacking” and its claim that it had complied with earlier orders “disingenuous, at best.”

[....] In a 2019 New York Times article, [nytimes.com] Barnett was one of several whistleblowers who raised quality issues at Boeing’s South Carolina plant, where the company builds its 787 Dreamliner aircraft. Barnett said he had discovered clusters of metal shavings left near electrical systems for flight controls,

He didn't find any problems with Starliner.

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