Boeing whistleblower John Barnett found dead days after giving evidence against company

Boeing's former employee and whistleblower John Barnett, who is known for raising issues regarding the production standards of the firm, was found dead in the United States.

John Barnett was associated with Boeing for 32 years till he retired in 2017. Days before his mysterious death, he had submitted evidence against the company as part of the whistleblower lawsuit.

Barnett died of "self-inflicted" wound: Reports

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Boeing expressedgrief over the news of Barnett's death. "We are saddened by Mr Barnett’s passing, and our thoughts are with his family and friends," read Boeing's statement.

His death was confirmed by the Charleston County coroner who claimed that the62-year-old had died on March 9 from a "self-inflicted" wound and police are investigating the case.

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Days before his death, Boeing's lawyers and his own attorney had cross-examined Barnett. The court was hoping that Barnett would answer more questions on Saturday (Mar 9), however, he did not appear as planned.

According to BBC, Barnett was later found dead in his truck. The truck was parked in the parking garage of a hotel.

Barnett hadbeen working as a quality manager at the North Charleston plant since 2010 and making the 787 Dreamliner, which is a state-of-the-art airliner that is generally used on long-haul routes.

Speaking to BBC in 2019, Barnett said that the workers were pressurised to deliberately fit sub-standard parts in the aircraft being produced.

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He also claimed that he found serious issues with oxygen systems which meant that one in four breathing masks would not work in an emergency.

He claimed that soon after beginning work in South Carolina he became concerned regarding the pressure to build a new aircraft, which according to him meant compromise in safety and a rushed assembly process.

Meanwhile, in the Federal Aviation Administration's six-week audit of Boeing’s production of the 737 Max jet, it was found that there are dozens of issues across the manufacturing process at the plane maker and even with one of its key suppliers, reported The New York Times.

(With inputs from agencies)