The family of a Boeing employee and whistleblower found dead in March claimed he was crushed by his long battle with the plane giant.

John Barnett was found dead in a car in a hotel parking lot in Charleston, South Carolina, on Saturday, March 9, from what a preliminary coroner’s report described as a “self-inflicted” gunshot wound.

He is giving evidence in a legal case stemming from a whistleblower complaint against Boeing.

His mother Vicky Stokes told US media cbs news She held the plane manufacturer responsible for his frustration.

Asked if she blamed Boeing for her son’s death, she said: “If this hadn’t gone on for so long, I would still have my son and my sons would still have their brothers and we would have Won’t sit here.

“So in that regard, I do.”

Police are still investigating the death of Mr Barnett, who is about to begin his third day of giving evidence to lawyers.

The 62-year-old quit his job as Boeing’s quality manager seven years ago, citing stress, and had reports to Boeing managers and the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) during his 32-year career at the company. Safety and quality issues. He said Boeing had not yet taken action, a claim the company denied.

Rodney Barnett told CBS his family did not want to comment on the cause of his brother’s death until the police investigation is complete. But he said they do want to continue his legacy of fighting to ensure public safety while flying.

“He thought he was trying to do the right thing,” Mr Barnett said. “That’s what bothered him, no one wanted to listen to what was going on there.”

Before John Barnett died from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound, he had been giving evidence in a whistleblower lawsuit against Boeing.

In an exclusive interview with CBS News, his family said Boeing retaliated against him when he raised safety concerns. pic.twitter.com/O1sJppHyX

— CBS Morning (@CBSMornings) March 28, 2024

John Barnett has worked at Boeing’s North Charleston plant, where the 787 Dreamliner is built, since 2010. He told the BBC in 2019 that workers under pressure deliberately installed substandard parts on aircraft on the production line.

In 2021, he filed a lawsuit claiming that Boeing “harmed his career because he raised safety concerns at the Charleston plant.”

2022 Netflix Documentaries, Downfall: The case against Boeingreported on the stories of several Boeing employees who publicly expressed concerns about inappropriate behavior at the company.

In the film, John Barnett said that instead of listening to its employees, Boeing “attacked the messenger and…ignored the message.”

Rodney Barnett told CBS that his brother said the company retaliated after the company embarrassed him in meetings after he raised safety and quality concerns, and “he would Being called away”.

“Anyone will get tired of it after seven or eight years,” Ms Stokes said.

“He wasn’t trying to hurt Boeing, he was trying to save Boeing,” Rob Turkwitz, John Barnett’s attorney, told CBS.

“He saw this coming, and he said, ‘You know, this is all going to fall on Boeing.’”

He said John Barnett was “exhausted” by the time and effort he spent fighting Boeing.

The case is currently expected to go to trial in September.

Boeing told I: “We are saddened by the passing of Mr. Barnett and our thoughts are with his family and friends.”

His family’s comments came after new head of Boeing’s commercial airplanes division, Stephanie Pope, said the company was working to improve quality and address concerns from regulators and airline customers following a series of safety incidents involving its planes. Worry, and therefore face a “moment of truth”.

Boeing CEO Dave Calhoun announced on Monday that he will leave his job at the end of the year, while Stan Deal, the company’s longtime head of commercial airplanes, is retiring immediately and Chairman Larry Kaye is retiring immediately. Larry Kellner steps down and is replaced by director Steve Mollenkopf. .

Boeing has been heavily criticized since January when a door plug panel detached from a new Alaska Airlines 737 Max 9 jet at 16,000 feet.

After the incident, the FAA grounded the Max 9 for several weeks, prohibited Boeing from increasing Max production rates, and ordered it to develop a comprehensive plan within 90 days to address “system quality control issues.”

In mid-March, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) launched an investigation after a United Airlines Boeing 737-800 lost an exterior panel before landing in Oregon.

In one week in March, five safety incidents occurred on Boeing aircraft, including four on United Airlines and one on LATAM Airlines.