Death Suicide; John Mitch Barnett Boeing , Whistleblower Has Passed Away: Police in South Carolina said on Friday that they had finished their investigation into the death of a former manager of Boeing who had voiced safety concerns about the company and was found dead after several days of depositions. The deceased had committed suicide. On March 9, the 62-year-old John Barnett’s remains were found in Louisiana. That day, the authorities had declared that he had self-inflicted his injuries.
Barnett spent a significant amount of time with Boeing, where he held the position of quality-control manager, before he retired in 2017. As a result, he spent several years discussing his concerns with the media. Barnett reported seeing metal shavings thrown away near the flight control cables. It was possible for the pieces to cause a disaster by cutting the wiring. Moreover, he claimed that as much as 25% of the oxygen systems fitted in Boeing 787 aircraft had issues.
It was found that Mr. Barnett had long-standing mental health issues based on the records and data analyzed during the examination. “These difficulties had become even more severe as a result of the ongoing legal proceedings associated with his whistleblower case,” a statement from police officials read. Barnett was in Charleston throughout the deposition questioning, having filed a whistleblower complaint, in anticipation of the June hearing on the matter.
Barnett’s brother Rodney released the following statement after his mother passed away: “John had identified some significant flaws that he felt were not adequately addressed.” Rodney said, “John was extremely concerned for the safety of the aircraft and the flying public.”
