By: Lori Aratani ………
A former Boeing employee who raised quality-control and safety concerns over the company’s aircraft production was found dead this week, according to authorities in South Carolina.
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, the Charleston County coroner’s office said in a statement. The Charleston City Police Department is investigating, it added.
“We are saddened by Mr. Barnett’s passing, and our thoughts are with his family and friends,” Boeing said in a statement.
At the time of his death, Barnett was due to wrap up the final day of depositions ahead of a June trial date in a whistleblower case he filed against Boeing in 2017, alleging that the company retaliated against him for raising concerns about production issues.
Barnett failed to show up at 10 a.m. Saturday for the deposition and didn’t answer calls to his mobile and hotel room, according to Robert M. Turkewitz, one of Barnett’s lawyers. Hotel employees located Barnett in his orange pickup truck in the hotel’s parking lot, Turkewitz added.
“We are shocked and devastated by what happened,” Turkewitz said. “As a lawyer, nothing prepares you for something like this.”
The Federal Aviation Administration did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Barnett originally filed theretaliation complaint with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration in January 2017. After nearly four years, the agency concluded that there was no retaliation, a decision Barnett later appealed. His case has been pending since then, as the two sides have gone through discovery and prehearing motions. Boeing’s motion to dismiss the claim was denied in 2022.
Is this just coincidence or is something more nefarious going on?
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