John Barnett, former Boeing employee found dead. He had denounced: "These planes are not safe"

There is mystery surrounding the death of John Barnett , a former employee of the US aerospace giant Boeing .

The 62-year-old engineer, with over thirty years of career in the company where he had also assumed the role of quality manager, had publicly denounced violations of safety standards in the production processes of airliners .

His body was found on Saturday 9 March in the car park of a hotel: the cause of death was a "self-inflicted gunshot wound".

In 2019, according to American media reports, Barnett declared on TV that "workers under pressure on the production line had deliberately assembled parts that did not meet safety standards on the planes." He also claimed to have discovered serious problems with the safety systems on board: according to the 62-year-old, one in four breathing masks would not work in an emergency .

Barnett reportedly alerted managers to his concerns, but no action followed. Not only that, Boeing has always denied his claims .

At the time of his death, Barnett was in Charleston for interviews related to the complaints. He was due to be subjected to further questioning last Saturday.

In a statement, Boeing said: "We are saddened by the passing of Mr. Barnett and our thoughts are with his family and friends."

However, there are many doubts related to death.

(Unioneonline/vl)