Boeing: The body of a former company employee who was reporting violations of production standards was found

The county coroner said that Barnett, who was 62 years old, died from a “self-inflicted wound” on March 9, and that police were investigating the incident.

While working at Boeing, Barnett began in 2010 responsible for quality management at the North Charleston plant during the manufacture of the advanced 787 Dreamliner aircraft, which is used only on long-haul flights.

In 2019, Barnett told the BBC that workers at this factory were deliberately, under pressure, installing substandard parts in aircraft.

Barnett added to the BBC at the time that he had also uncovered serious problems with oxygen systems, noting that one out of every four breathing masks would not work in the event of an emergency.

Barnett reported that shortly after he began working for Boeing in Charleston County, South Carolina, he quickly expressed his concerns that the rush to manufacture new aircraft would lead to safety defects, which the American company denied.

Barnett later told the BBC that workers had failed to follow procedures intended to trace defective parts found at the factory, which led to those parts not being found.

Barnett noted that, in some cases, workers would bring defective parts after they had been disposed of and install those parts into new aircraft for fear of delays in production.

Barnett also claimed that by inspecting emergency oxygen systems before installing them on Boeing 787 aircraft, it was found that 25 percent of these systems did not meet quality standards.

Barnett said he raised his concerns with his managers at Boeing, but no action resulted.

Not only that, the company denied Barnett’s allegations, but an evaluation issued by the Federal Aviation Administration in 2017 supported a number of Barnett’s concerns.

The evaluation confirmed that no less than 53 defective parts (that did not meet standards) were found in the factory, and that these parts were considered lost. Boeing was ordered to take corrective action.

Regarding the issue of oxygen cylinders, the company said that in 2017 it had identified a number of defective oxygen cylinders that it had received from the supplier, but Boeing denied that any of those defective cylinders had been installed in aircraft.

After retiring from Boeing, Barnett initiated long-term legal action against the company.

Barnett accused Boeing of tarnishing his reputation and disrupting his career because he pointed out problems – accusations Boeing rejects.

At the time of Barnett’s death, Barnett was in Charleston County conducting legal proceedings related to the case.

Last week, Barnett provided formal testimony; Boeing’s lawyers asked him some questions, before his lawyer asked him a corresponding question.

Barnett was scheduled to continue giving his testimony last Saturday, but he did not appear, and investigations were taking place at the hotel where he was staying.

Later, Barnett was found dead in his car in the hotel parking lot.

Speaking to the BBC, Barnett’s lawyer described his client’s death as a “tragic” accident.

In a statement, Boeing said: “We are saddened by Barnett’s death, and we extend our condolences to his family and friends.”

Barnett’s death comes at a time when production standards at both Boeing and its main supplier, Spirit Aero Systems, are under intense scrutiny.

Last January, attention turned to Boeing after a door exploded on a 737 Max 9 passenger plane while it was in flight.

A preliminary report issued by the National Transportation Safety Board in the United States indicated that four basic bolts, designed to hold the plane’s door in place, were deficient in standards.

Last week, a six-week inspection by the Federal Aviation Administration revealed “numerous instances in which Boeing failed to meet manufacturing quality standards.”