The first whistleblower John Barnett,62 was found dead in his truck in a hotel parking lot in South Carolina in March.
Barnett was a former quality control engineer, worked at Boeing for 32 years. He retired for health reasons in March 2017.
Safety Concerns and 1st Quarter Losses
The same attorney also represented Barnett who had spoken out about alleged safety problems at Boeing. And had been giving evidence in a lawsuit against the company prior to his death. 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.
Four whistleblowers complained to the FAA after a series of safety related accidents connected to Boeing over the past year. Two of the four whistleblowers are now dead.
In January, an Alaska Airlines Boeing 737 MAX 9’s door plug blew off in mid-air. This led the FAA to ground all 171 MAX 9 jets during an ongoing investigation.
Boeing CEO Dave Calhoun, announced in March that he would step down at the end of 2024. And the company reports a $355 million net loss for its first quarter of this year.
