Who Was John Barnett? Boeing Whistleblower’s Alarming Dreamliner Claims Resurface After Air India Plane Crash

Ahmedabad: The tragic crash of Air India flight AI-171, a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner en route from Ahmedabad to London, has cast a critical spotlight back on Boeing’s production practices. The aircraft plummeted shortly after takeoff on Thursday, June 12, killing 241 of the 242 people on board, marking the first fatal crash involving a 787 since the jet’s debut in 2009.

Now, troubling safety warnings issued by former Boeing quality manager John Barnett, who died under mysterious circumstances last year, are drawing renewed attention.

Here's the exact moment when the Air India plane crashed in Meghaninagar, Ahmedabad:

Who Was John Barnett?

Born in California on February 23, 1962, John Barnett moved to Louisiana with his mother and three older brothers following his parents’ separation. After graduating from Bolton High School, he initially worked as a cab driver before joining the US Air Force. He later shifted to the aerospace sector, contributing to NASA’s Space Shuttle programme at Rockwell International in the 1980s.

His career eventually took him to Boeing, where he joined as a quality inspector in 1988. By 2010, he was stationed at Boeing’s North Charleston plant in South Carolina, a home to the Dreamliner assembly line. It was there that Barnett began raising internal alarms about serious quality and safety issues in the aircraft’s manufacturing.

What Did Barnett Reveal?

Between 2010 and 2017, Barnett documented what he described as a culture of cutting corners under pressure to meet production deadlines. He alleged that Boeing managers routinely urged workers to overlook defects. Among his most concerning claims was the presence of small metal shavings left near critical wiring, posing risks of electrical failure mid-air.

Here's a statement by Barnett, recorded just days before his passing:

He also flagged that roughly one in four oxygen masks on the 787s might fail in an emergency, and accused the company of failing to properly track or install essential parts. In 2017, Barnett filed formal complaints with both the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). The FAA corroborated some of his concerns and asked Boeing to address them, though OSHA ultimately sided with the company in 2021.

Feeling sidelined, Barnett claimed he was denied promotions, excluded from teams, and subjected to a hostile work environment before retiring in 2017. He later spoke out publicly, appearing in the 2022 Netflix documentary Downfall: The Case Against Boeing, and continued to voice concerns following a door plug blowout on an Alaska Airlines flight in 2024.

How Did He Die?

On 9 March 2024, while staying at a hotel in Charleston, South Carolina to testify in his whistleblower retaliation case against Boeing, Barnett was mysteriously found dead in his pickup truck with a gunshot wound to the head. A handgun was discovered in his right hand. According to police, the scene indicated suicide.

According to reports, a handwritten note left behind at the scene read, “I can’t do this any longer. F**k Boeing. I pray Boeing pays.”

Published on: Friday, June 13, 2025, 04:23 PM IST