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John Barnett had worked for Boeing for 32 years, until his retirement in 2017.

In the days before his death, he had been giving evidence in a whistleblower lawsuit against the company.

Boeing said it was saddened to hear of Mr Barnett's passing. The Charleston County coroner confirmed his death to the BBC on Monday.

It said the 62-year-old had died from a "self-inflicted" wound on 9 March and police were investigating.

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[-] burgers@toast.ooo 169 points 8 months ago

i can't find it online, but im reasonably certain i heard an interview with this guy on Canadian public radio several years ago that really shook me. he talked basically about how he wouldn't fly on a Boeing plane, knowing what he knows and having seen what he'd seen, stuff like quality rejected parts getting taken back into inventory to meet quotas. the takeaway for me was that the quality control system that had previously worked so well was an invention of equal or possibly higher importance to any kind of aerodynamic innovation present on those planes. i work in an analogous role (in a different industry) and i really do take it more seriously after having heard the interview. nobody likes the work of quality assurance and you'll never see someone doing a non-conformance report on TV but it's a necessary condition for planes to stay in the sky. RIP to a real one and if he got murdered then i hope the industry burns

[-] cyberpunk007@lemmy.world 51 points 8 months ago* (last edited 8 months ago)

Neat, I'm jumping on a Boeing 737-700 in about 8 hours. Nice knowin ya while it lasted.

[-] SeaJ@lemm.ee 31 points 8 months ago

That feel was created before they started cutting corners. You should be fine.

[-] neptune@dmv.social 4 points 8 months ago

I think even Boeing is still safer per passenger mile than any car, or biking/walking.

[-] Emerald@lemmy.world 3 points 8 months ago

It's not a MAX so you'll probably be fine haha

[-] ember@lemmy.ca 3 points 8 months ago

My southwest flight will be on a max 8 both ways. Wish me luck.

[-] linearchaos@lemmy.world 48 points 8 months ago

John Oliver's Boeing broadcast last week included a video of a guy walking around a Boeing production floor asking all the people if any of them would be willing to fly in a Boeing. Of everyone he asked a single guy said yes and then followed it up with "but I kind of have a death wish."

[-] Emerald@lemmy.world 20 points 8 months ago

There were more yes's, but they were cut out of the video. However, Oliver mentions after the video what amount of them said yes and what amount said no. Most of them did say "no" though.

[-] lennybird@lemmy.world 2 points 8 months ago* (last edited 8 months ago)

If Boeing was running a tight ship with safety in mind, they should all have been yes. If one said no, that could be a disgruntled employee for some reason or another, but jesus....

Anyways, Airbus for me it is.

this post was submitted on 11 Mar 2024
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