The lawyers for Boeing whistleblower John Barnett, who was found dead from a ‘self-inflicted wound’ inside his vehicle this week, have raised doubts he took his own life.
Barnett was found dead just days after testifying against the airplane company.
The Daily Mail reported:
“Barnett’s death came during a break in depositions in a whistleblower retaliation suit, where he alleged under-pressure workers were deliberately fitting sub-standard parts to aircraft on the assembly line.”
Barnett was reportedly found with a ‘silver handgun’ with his hand and his finger on the trigger, along with a suicide note.
However, the contents of the note have not been released.
Barnett’s lawyers have since called for a thorough probe because they do not believe he committed suicide.
“John was in the midst of a deposition in his whistleblower case, which finally was nearing the end,” Barnett’s lawyers said.
“He was in very good spirits and really looking forward to putting this phase of his life behind him and moving on.”
The New York Post reported:
Lawyers for a Boeing whistleblower found dead on the day he was due to testify against the jetliner giant are questioning that he killed himself in a South Carolina parking lot — and calling for an investigation.
“We need more information about what happened to John,” attorneys Robert Turkewitz and Brian Knowles, who represent former Boeing manager John Barnett, said in a statement Tuesday.
“The Charleston police need to investigate this fully and accurately and tell the public.”
“We didn’t see any indication he would take his own life,” they added. “No one can believe it.”
“No detail can be left unturned.”
Barnett was due in court for further testimony in a major lawsuit against the company when he was found dead.
He was scheduled to appear in court to answer more questions on Saturday, but failed to turn up.
His lawyer said he and his co-counsel had been calling Barnett’s phone, but he did not answer.
Barnett was a quality control engineer with 30 years of experience before retiring in 2017.
However, years later, he blew the whistle, telling the BBC that Boeing cut corners by rushing to get its 787 Dreamliner jets off the production line.
He said Sub-standard parts had even been removed from scrap bins and fitted to planes that were being built to prevent delays on the production line.”
“He also claimed that tests on emergency oxygen systems due to be fitted to the 787 showed a failure rate of 25%, meaning that one in four could fail to deploy in a real-life emergency.” – BBC reported.
Turkewitz and Knowles said Barnett was in very good spirits” ahead of his deposition against the company on Monday.
Barnett’s “suicide” comes amid reports of several Boeing planes being grounded due to issues with the aircraft’s construction.
Last week, a United Airlines Boeing 737 Max 8 suffered a gear failure and skidded off the runway at Houston’s George Bush Intercontinental Airport.
A day earlier, a United Airlines Boeing 777 plane was forced to make an emergency landing after losing a tire during take-off.
In January, a large piece of an Alaska Airlines Boeing 737 MAX blew out mid-air.
The Boeing 737 Max was heading to Ontario, California w, when a large window busted open, causing severe depressurization.
Alaska Airlines CEO Ben Minicucci said in a statement:
“Following tonight’s event on Flight 1282, we have decided to take the precautionary step of temporarily grounding our fleet of 65 Boeing 737-9 aircraft.”
“My heart goes out to those who were on this flight – I am so sorry for what you experienced.”
READ: United Airlines Plane Diverted after Pilot Suffers “Chest Pains” Mid-Flight
