John Barnett, a former Boeing employee who publicly raised questions about the aircraft manufacturer’s safety practices and quality control, has been found dead in South Carolina.
Officials in Charleston say Barnett died from what appears to be a self-inflicted gunshot wound on March 9. Police are continuing to investigate the incident.
Barnett, a 32-year veteran at Boeing, first made headlines in 2019 as one of the several whistleblowers who expressed concerns about issues at Boeing’s South Carolina plant, which makes the 787 Dreamliner aircraft. He told the New York Times he had found clusters of metal shavings left near flight control electrical systems, which could have resulted in “catastrophic” results if those shavings had penetrated the wiring.
He retired in 2017, two months after filing a whistleblower complaint with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), citing health reasons and saying he had been subjected to retaliation. The BBC reports Barnett was in Charleston for legal interviews surrounding his legal action against the company, alleging Boeing had damaged his career because of the safety issues he cited.
Boeing has denied those charges and, in a statement following his death, said: “We are saddened by Mr. Barnett’s passing, and our thoughts are with his family and friends.”
The Charleston Police Department in a statement to Fortune, said “Detectives are actively investigating this case and are awaiting the formal cause of death, along with any additional findings that might shed further light on the circumstances surrounding the death of Mr. Barnett… We understand the global attention this case has garnered, and it is our priority to ensure that the investigation is not influenced by speculation but is led by facts and evidence.”
Barnett’s death comes as Boeing is under increased scrutiny for its safety practices. In January, the emergency exit door blew off a new Boeing 737 Max jet while in flight. A National Transportation Safety Board preliminary report found that four bolts, designed to hold the door in place, were not fitted on that plane. And last week, an FAA audit found “multiple instances where the company allegedly failed to comply with manufacturing quality control requirements.”
