Boeing manager who blew the whistle on company's 'serious problems' with production standards found dead

Gavin McIntyre/The Post And Courier via AP, Poo

A Boeing whistleblower has been found dead. The former Boeing employee, John Barnett, raised concerns about the company's production standards. 

Barnett worked for Boeing for 32 years until he retired in 2017. From 2010, he worked as a quality manager in its North Charleston plant, which produces the 787 Dreamliner.

In interviews with the BBC, Barnett alleged that the company was deliberately fitting substandard parts to aircraft on its production line. Per the BBC: "He also said he had uncovered serious problems with oxygen systems, which could mean one in four breathing masks would not work in an emergency."

"He said soon after starting work in South Carolina he had become concerned that the push to get new aircraft built meant the assembly process was rushed and safety was compromised, something the company denied," the report adds. 

In addition, he told BBC that workers didn't follow procedures intended to track components, which allowed for defective components to go missing. In some cases, substandard parts were removed from scrap bins and fitted onto planes to prevent delays.

"He also claimed that tests on emergency oxygen systems due to be fitted to the 787 showed a failure rate of 25%, meaning that one in four could fail to deploy in a real-life emergency," the BBC report stated. 

Barnett informed his supervisors about this, but alleges that they failed to take any action. Boeing denied his claims, but a 2017 review by the FAA upheld some of his concerns and found that dozens of substandard or "non-conforming" parts had indeed gone missing.

A new review last week by the FAA, following a six-week audit, found "multiple instances where the company allegedly failed to comply with manufacturing quality control requirements." The US NTSB also found that bolts were not fitted to the doors of a brand new Boeing 737 Max that blew off during takeoff in January.

At the time of his death, Barnett was involved in an ongoing lawsuit against Boeing and was set to testify in legal interviews relating to the case.