A Boeing whistleblower was found dead in his truck in a South Carolina hotel parking lot after failing to appear for the second part of testimony in a bombshell lawsuit against the company, reports said Monday. Ta.
John Burnett, 62, raised safety concerns at the airline’s factory and gave his first testimony days before he was found dead from an apparent “self-inflicted” gunshot wound. Ta. Charleston County Coroner told the BBC..
Mr Barnett’s lawyer Brian Knowles said: He told TMZ he clearly has doubts. As for the circumstances of his death, he called it a “suspected” self-inflicted gunshot wound.
“This is a tragic day,” Knowles said. Corporate crime reporter. “John had been preparing back and forth for quite some time. The defense conducted the seven hours of examination allowed by regulation on Thursday.”
The whistleblower was staying at the hotel for a deposition in a whistleblower case against the company.
His attorney said he and his co-counsel called Barnett’s phone on Saturday, but the call went to voicemail.
“We then asked the hotel to check on his safety,” he said. “They found him dead in the truck from an alleged self-inflicted gunshot wound. We drove to the hotel and spoke with police and the coroner.”
An email to Mr. Knowles was not immediately returned Monday night.
Barnett worked for Boeing for more than 30 years before retiring in 2017.
He worked as a quality control engineer. In 2019, Barnett told the BBC that Boeing had compromised safety by rushing the 787 Dreamliner off the production line.
Boeing released a statement regarding Barnett’s death.
“We are saddened by the death of Mr. Burnett and our thoughts are with his family and friends,” the statement said.
The company has come under intense scrutiny in recent months due to a myriad of problems with its planes, including an incident in January when a door plug blew off during an Alaska Airlines flight.
