Former Boeing Quality Manager John Barnett, who recently testified in court and fiercely criticized his former employer, was found dead. According to BBC reports, Barnett had worked for the company for 32 years before leaving in 2017. The Charleston County Coroner's Office in South Carolina confirmed that the 62-year-old appeared to have taken his own life. The Charleston police have launched an investigation but did not release any further details.

In a statement, Boeing expressed its regret over the death of Mr. Barnett and emphasized its sympathy for his family and friends. Barnett's lawyer, Brian Knowles, declined to comment, but told the publication "Corporate Crime Reporter" that his client had been questioned just the day before in a whistleblower case related to the production of the 787 Dreamliner. He had been in the middle of a several-hour interrogation in court and was due to appear again the following day. Instead, his body was found in the hotel.

Barnett Turned to the Media After the January 5 Incident, in Which a Panel Broke off from the Fuselage of a 737 Max 9 During Flight. He had Previously Worked for Many Years on the Production of the 787 Dreamliner and Reported Having Issues with Management at the Charleston Factory. His Main Critique Was That "They Began to Circumvent Procedures, to Cut Corners with Aircraft Configuration Checks and Non-Conforming Parts - All Just to Deliver Planes Faster and Make More Money."

Boeing has long been struggling with trust and quality issues, and the situation has since intensified. Production has been throttled by US authorities, leading to delays across the entire aerospace industry. No improvement is in sight. Last Tuesday, the "New York Times" reported that Boeing failed more than a third of the comprehensive safety reviews by the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). Out of a total of 89 investigations related to the 737 Max model, Boeing did not pass 33.