Boeing whistleblower John Barnett: Full list of claims the dead 62-year-old made against the firm since 2019 as former employee's body is found in his truck

Boeing whistleblower John Barnett was found dead in his truck outside a South Carolina hotel which the coroner put down to a 'self-inflicted' gunshot wound in the head.

However, the 62-year-old's attorney, Brian Knowles, has made sure to call this an 'alleged' suicide, coming just days after his client testified in a lawsuit against the aviation giant and cops have confirmed that they are investigating further.

Sgt. Anthony Gibson of The Charleston Police Department told local media: '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.' 

The ex-quality manager at Boeing's North Charleston plant, where 787 Dreamliners are built, was found in his truck in a hotel carpark on March 9 - during a break in depositions in said suit.

Mr Knowles added that Barnett had just given a deposition to Boeing's lawyers for the case in the week before his death. The company said it was saddened to hear of their ex-employee's passing.

The whistleblower was  a Boing employee from 1985 and became the Charleston site's quality manager in 2010 before retiring on health grounds seven years later. So, what were his subsequent claims? Find the full list below. 

Boeing whistleblower John Barnett was found dead in his truck outside a South Carolina hotel which cops have put down to a 'self-inflicted' gunshot wound in the head

Barnett worked for Boeing for over three decades and became the quality manager at the company's North Charleston plant in 2010 (stock image)

Metal shavings above Boeing 737 flight control wiring 

In 2019, he told the New York Times that he raised concerns over clusters of metal shavings - produced when fasteners are fitted into nuts - hanging above the wiring commanding the flight controls.

He said that if those sharp metal pieces were to fall and penetrate the wires it would be 'catastrophic'.

Barnett added that he repeatedly urged those above him to remove the shavings before making his whistle-blower complaint, but was ignored and later moved to another part of the plant.

A Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) spokesman said it had inspected several planes certified by Boeing as free of the shavings, and found that same metal debris which can cause short-circuiting and fires.

In 2017, the FAA issued a directive requiring that Dreamliners be cleared of them before being delivered and Boeing said they were complying.

Barnett's lawyer has been careful to insist that his client's suicide is 'alleged' in the wake of the 'tragic' event

Boeing managers ignored problems that were raised

In the same 2019 interview, Barnett said that in 2016 he had learned of a senior manager pulling a dented hydraulic tube - used as part of the central movement control system - from a scrap bin before it was installed in a 737.

He said that the manager told him not to worry about it, but filed a complaint with HR. 

Barnett also reported other faulty parts going missing, potentially as they were being installed on planes to hit deadlines.

Bosses, supposedly, told him to file his report on the missing parts without getting to the bottom of where they ended up. 

Boeing responded to this claim by saying that they notified airlines as a precautionary matter, but found no evidence of the dented hydraulic tube after investigation.

Boeing Factory Everett in Washington state

Dreamliners' flawed emergency oxygen systems

Later in 2019, Barnett told the BBC that tests suggested that up to 25 per cent of oxygen systems for the 737 might not work when needed.

He said that in 2016 he uncovered problems in the systems designed to keep passengers and crew alive if cabin pressurization fails at altitude - when breathing masks drop down.

This being flawed would likely result in all onboard being incapacitated within a minute.

When decommissioning systems with minor superficial damage, Barnett claimed to discover that some oxygen bottles were not discharging when they were meant to.

After arranging a test, 75 of 300 bottles 'straight out of stock' were faulty, but Boeing insisted no such bottles ended up in aircraft. 

Faulty parts being deliberately fitted 

The whistleblower also told the UK broadcaster in November 2019 that the rush to get its new, state-of-the-art airliner off the production line resulted in a hurried assembly process where safety was compromised.

Barnett said this came in the form of under-pressure workers fitting parts which fell below the company's own standards because 'Boeing South Carolina is strictly driven by schedule and cost'.

He added that Boeing managers were 'not concerned about safety, just meeting schedule'.

Also in 2019, Barnett told Corporate Crime Reporter that his bosses - a new team with a background in the military side of the business - had a mindset that 'we are going to do it the way we want to do it... We are in Charleston and we can do anything we want.'

Boeing denied this, insisting that 'safety, quality and integrity are at the core of Boeing's values'.

However, as recently as March 2024, the FAA said a six-week audit found 'multiple instances where [Boeing] allegedly failed to comply with manufacturing quality control requirements'. 

Barnett warned that Boeing 737 Max 9 aircraft could be returning to runways too soon after one had a cabin window explode mid-flight (aftermath pictured)

Boeing 737 Max 9 on runways too soon

On the eve of his trial, Barnett told TMZ that he felt Boeing's 737 Max 9 aircrafts were being brought to the runway too soon, just weeks after one had a cabin window explode mid-flight, causing the plane to make an emergency landing.

That event resulted in a criminal investigation into the company. 

Leaning on his alleged experiences, the whistleblower - speaking in January 2024 - suggested that corners could have been cut in getting the Max 9s back in the air.