After exposing security flaws, 32-year veteran Boeing employee suspected of "shooting himself in the head"

　　China News Service, March 13 (Xinhua) According to comprehensive foreign media reports, on the 11th local time, the Charleston County Coroner's Office in South Carolina, USA, stated that John Barnett, a former employee who exposed Boeing safety issues, was found dead in South Carolina. The cause of death in a car outside a hotel was suspected to be "suicide by shooting."

　　According to CNN, a press release issued by the Charleston County Coroner's Office that day stated that 62-year-old Barnett died on March 9, local time, and the cause of death "appeared to be suicide by shooting."

The city's Police Department said authorities are investigating the case and "awaiting the official cause of death, as well as the results of any additional investigations that may further shed light on the circumstances of Barnett's death."

　　According to the US "Capitol Hill" report, Barnett was a veteran employee who worked for Boeing for 32 years until his retirement in 2017.

Beginning in 2010, Barnett worked as a quality manager at Boeing's North Charleston, South Carolina, plant, one of two plants involved in building the Boeing 787 Dreamliner.

　　According to reports, in 2019, Barnett broke the news to the media that the oxygen system of the Boeing 787 "Dream" airliner had a serious defect that may cause about a quarter of the oxygen masks to fail to work properly when needed.

Barnett also said that at the North Charleston plant, overworked employees often installed substandard parts during the aircraft assembly process, causing aircraft safety to be compromised.

　　Boeing denied Barnett's claims at the time, but a follow-up investigation by the Federal Aviation Administration confirmed parts of his accusations, the report said.

Boeing was ordered to take remedial action after a report found that more than 50 "substandard" parts were unaccounted for and possibly missing at Boeing's North Charleston plant.

　　Barnett then launched a lengthy legal battle against Boeing.

Barnett had been providing evidence in a lawsuit against Boeing for some time before his death.

　　According to reports, at the time of Barnett's death, Boeing was involved in many aviation safety incidents.

In January 2024, part of the fuselage of an Alaska Airlines Boeing 737 Max series aircraft burst. This incident injured several people on board and grounded 171 Boeing 737 Max 9 aircraft in the United States.

In March, a United Airlines Boeing passenger plane suffered three accidents within five days, including engine fires, tires falling off, and skidding off the runway.

On March 11, a LATAM Airlines Boeing 787-9 experienced a technical problem and made an emergency landing during the flight, causing passengers to hit the roof of the cabin and injuring at least 50 people.