A former Boeing employee who raised concerns about potential safety issues and gave evidence in a whistleblower case against the company has been found dead, according to authorities.
The Charleston County Coroner in South Carolina first confirmed to the BBC that 62-year-old John Barnett died of a “self-inflicted injury” on March 9.
Mr Barnett, who had worked for the aircraft company for 32 years until 2017, made a series of allegations against the company in 2019.
He told the BBC that workers under pressure deliberately installed substandard parts into the plan and that passengers on the 787 Dreamliner could be starved of oxygen if there was a sudden decompression.
He said he feared the push to build new planes meant safety would be compromised, the BBC reported.
The company denied his claims.
Barnett also filed a complaint against Boeing, accusing the company of retaliating against him for reporting problems, something he has recently been giving evidence for.
“We are saddened by Mr. Barnett’s passing and our thoughts are with his family and friends,” Boeing said in a statement.
Charleston County Coroner Bobby Joe O’Neill’s office said: “The Charleston Police Department is the investigating agency. No further details are available at this time.”
Boeing’s safety record has been under scrutiny since two fatal crashes involving its 737 MAX in 2018 and 2019.
The company came under pressure again in January after an unused cabin door on one of its 737 aircraft was blown off at 16,000 feet.
Concerns were reignited on Monday after a plane broke down en route from Sydney to Auckland and “frozen” in mid-air, injuring at least 50 people.
Passengers reported “screaming” as the LATAM Dreamliner “swerved” and some people were thrown through the air.
New Zealand’s Transport Accident Investigation Board said on Tuesday it was seizing the plane’s cockpit voice recorder and flight data recorder.
Accident investigators said Chilean authorities had confirmed they had opened an investigation into the flight and were assisting in the investigation.
A TAIC spokesman said that because the incident on Monday’s Sydney-Auckland flight occurred in international airspace, an investigation was launched by Chile’s accident investigation agency, the Direccion General de Aeronautica Civil (DGAC).
The cause of the apparent sudden change in flight path is currently unknown. Safety experts say most aircraft accidents are caused by multiple factors and require thorough investigation.
Follow us on Google news ,Twitter , and Join Whatsapp Group of thelocalreport.in
