BREAKING: Boeing Whistleblower FOUND DEAD After Stunning Testimony
Summary
TLDRThe transcript discusses the death of John Barnett, a Boeing whistleblower who had raised concerns about safety issues in Boeing's manufacturing processes. Barnett, a former 787 Dreamliner quality manager, claimed that substandard parts were being used and that there were problems with oxygen systems. His death, ruled as a suicide, occurred amidst his involvement in a lawsuit against Boeing and cooperation with federal law enforcement. The transcript also mentions a recent FAA audit revealing numerous problems in Boeing's 737 Max production and the company's ongoing criminal investigation by the Justice Department.
Takeaways
- đš A Boeing whistleblower, John Barnett, who worked as a 787 Dreamliner quality manager, was found dead in an apparent suicide.
- đ Barnett had been raising concerns about Boeing for years, alleging that substandard parts were being used in aircraft production and that there were issues with oxygen systems.
- đ« Before his death, Barnett was giving evidence in a lawsuit against Boeing and had recently spoken to TMZ about his concerns.
- đ€ Barnett's whistleblowing was a part of the FAA's examination in 2019 and he was actively involved in the most recent investigation into issues with Alaska Airlines.
- đ ïž The FAA found that Boeing and its supplier, Spirit AeroSystems, failed 33 of 89 audits during a six-week audit, revealing numerous quality control issues.
- đ« Boeing denied Barnett's assertions, but a 2017 FAA review upheld some of his concerns, finding at least 53 non-conforming parts in the factory.
- đĄ The issues at Boeing are tied to the financialization of the company, with a focus on shareholder value and profit over safety and quality.
- đïž The neoliberal era has seen regulatory bodies like the FAA defanged, with key functions handed off to the industries they are supposed to regulate, leading to self-certification by companies like Boeing.
- đ The societal root cause trends contributing to Boeing's issues include the financialization of companies and the defanging of regulatory bodies across administrations.
- đ The situation at Boeing raises questions about the safety of air travel and the effectiveness of current regulatory practices in ensuring the public's safety.
Q & A
Who was John Barnett and what was his connection to Boeing?
-John Barnett was a former employee who worked for Boeing for 32 years and retired in 2017. He became a whistleblower against the Boeing Corporation, exposing issues related to safety and quality control at the company.
What specific issues did John Barnett raise about Boeing's practices?
-John Barnett raised concerns about the use of substandard parts on aircraft, serious problems with the oxygen systems on the 787 Dreamliner, and a culture at Boeing where quality was considered non-value added and overhead.
What was the outcome of the FAA's examination in 2019 that John Barnett was part of?
-The FAA's examination in 2019, which John Barnett contributed to, investigated problems at Boeing, including those related to safety and quality control, though the transcript does not detail specific outcomes.
What shocking claim did John Barnett make about the oxygen systems on Boeing aircraft?
-John Barnett claimed that the oxygen systems on Boeing aircraft were faulty, stating that only one in four oxygen masks would work in an emergency.
What allegations did John Barnett make about Spirit Aerosystems?
-John Barnett alleged that during a visit to Spirit Aerosystems, he and his team found 300 defects in a section of a plane, some of which required engineering intervention. He suggested that quality inspection standards were being compromised.
How did Boeing reportedly respond to the issues raised by John Barnett?
-Boeing denied all of John Barnett's assertions but faced scrutiny from the FAA, which found dozens of problems in the manufacturing process of the 737 Max jet and instances of non-compliance with quality control requirements.
What was the significance of the FAA's audit of Boeing's production of the 737 Max jet?
-The FAA's audit revealed dozens of manufacturing process issues and non-compliance with quality control requirements, highlighting systemic problems within Boeing's production and quality assurance practices.
What are the broader societal trends that the transcript suggests have contributed to the issues at Boeing?
-The transcript suggests that financialization and deregulation are broader societal trends contributing to Boeing's issues. This includes a focus on shareholder value over product quality and safety, and a regulatory environment that allows companies more self-oversight.
How did Boeing's corporate practices and regulatory environment contribute to the reported issues?
-Boeing's focus on profit and shareholder value, along with a deregulatory environment where regulatory bodies like the FAA have handed off key oversight functions to industry, contributed to a culture where safety and quality were compromised.
What legal actions is Boeing facing as a result of these allegations and findings?
-Boeing is facing a Justice Department investigation and potential criminal inquiry into its practices, particularly related to the Alaska Airlines incident and broader issues of safety and quality control within the company.
Outlines
đš Boeing Whistleblower's Death Raises Concerns đš
The script discusses the death of John Barnett, a former Boeing employee and whistleblower, who was found dead in what is claimed to be a suicide. Barnett had worked for Boeing for 32 years and had been vocal about the company's alleged use of substandard parts and issues with oxygen systems in their aircraft. He had been providing evidence in a lawsuit against Boeing and had recently given an interview to TMZ with alarming claims about the company's practices. The script highlights the concerns around the safety and quality control issues at Boeing, especially regarding the 737 and 787 models, and the implications of these issues for the aviation industry and the company's reputation.
đ ïž Evidence Supports Whistleblower's Claims đ ïž
This paragraph details how some of John Barnett's claims were supported by evidence, as reported by the BBC. The FAA's 2017 review upheld some of his concerns, finding at least 53 non-conforming parts in the factory that were considered lost. Boeing was ordered to take remedial action. The company denied using non-conforming parts from the scrap heap, but the missing parts suggested the truth of Barnett's story. Regarding the oxygen cylinders, Boeing admitted to receiving defective bottles from suppliers but denied they were used on aircraft. The paragraph also discusses the timing of Barnett's death in relation to the Justice Department's criminal investigation into Boeing and the broader issues within the company, including its focus on shareholder value over safety and quality.
đ The Decline of Boeing and Regulatory Failure đ
The final paragraph of the script addresses the societal trends contributing to Boeing's decline in quality and safety. It discusses the financialization of the company, where profit and shareholder value take precedence over engineering excellence and product safety. The script also criticizes the deregulation trend across administrations, which has led to regulatory bodies like the FAA relying on companies to self-certify, resulting in a lack of independent quality control and safety inspections. The situation at Boeing is presented as a symptom of a wider problem in the corporate world and government regulation, where short-term gains are prioritized over long-term safety and quality.
Mindmap
Keywords
đĄBoeing Whistleblower
đĄSubstandard Parts
đĄOxygen Systems
đĄQuality Manager
đĄFAA Examination
đĄSpirit AeroSystems
đĄJustice Department Investigation
đĄFinancialization of Boeing
đĄNeoliberal Era
đĄSelf-Certification
Highlights
Boeing whistleblower John Barnett found dead in an apparent suicide.
Barnett worked for Boeing for 32 years, retiring in 2017, and has since been a whistleblower against the company.
Before his death, Barnett was giving evidence in a lawsuit against Boeing.
Barnett was a 787 Dreamliner quality manager at Boeing's North Charleston plant.
He claimed that underpressure workers were fitting substandard parts to aircraft on the production line.
Barnett also reported serious problems with the aircraft's oxygen systems, with only one in four masks functioning in an emergency.
After starting work at Boeing, Barnett became concerned enough to leave and cooperate with law enforcement and federal whistleblowers.
He was an integral part of the FAA's examination in 2019 of problems at Boeing.
Barnett gave testimony in the most recent investigation into Alaska Airlines shortly before his death.
In an interview with TMZ, Barnett expressed concerns about the overall condition of the 737 and 787 aircraft.
Boeing started removing inspection operations in 2012, leading to mechanics buying off their own work.
A team of inspectors led by Barnett found 300 defects in a section of aircraft built by Spirit AeroSystems.
The FAA caught mechanics at Spirit AeroSystems using dish soap as lubricant for 737 Max door seals.
The Justice Department has opened a criminal inquiry into Boeing tied to the Alaska Airlines incident.
Boeing claims to have no record of the work done on the Alaska plane.
The FAA found dozens of problems in Boeing's production of the 737 Maxjet during a six-week audit.
Boeing failed 33 of 89 audits conducted by the FAA during the examination.
A report from the FAA in 2017 upheld some of Barnett's concerns, finding at least 53 non-conforming parts in the factory.
Boeing was ordered to take remedial action after the 2017 FAA review.
Spirit AeroSystems, a former part of Boeing, was sold off in pursuit of shareholder value and profit.
Boeing is now trying to buy back Spirit AeroSystems as it faces a major crisis and a Justice Department investigation.
The financialization of Boeing and the defanging of regulatory bodies like the FAA contributed to the company's safety and quality issues.
Transcripts
all right let's move on to the next part
here this is about Boeing uh I've been
wanting to cover this story for quite
some time and then some shocking
shocking news broke yesterday let's put
this up there on the screen a Boeing
whistleblower was actually found dead
here in the United States in what is
being claimed is an apparent suicide
John Barnett he had previously worked
for Boeing for 32 years he retired in
2017 and since then has spent his life
being a whistleblower against the Boeing
Corporation in fact in the days before
his death he was giving evidence in this
lawsuit against the company uh he was
actually found dead in h Charleston the
real uh thing that Mr Barnett had been
whistleblowing about is that he
previously worked as a 730 787
Dreamliner quality manager at the North
Charleston plant and he had specifically
told BBC and other outlets that
underpressure workers had been
deliberately fitting substandard parts
to aircraft on the production line and
he also said he had uncovered serious
problems with their oxygen systems
meaning that only one in four breathing
Mass would not work in an emergency so
soon after then starting work at that
South Carolina company became very
concerned eventually concerned enough to
leave and to cooperate with law
enforcement with Federal whistleblowers
he was an integral part actually of the
faa's examination back in 2019 of the
problems that were happening over at
Boeing and was giving testimony in their
most recent investigation into what the
hell happened with Alaska Airlines in
the days before his death he actually
gave an interview to TMZ with some
pretty shocking claims let's take a
listen one this is not a 737 problem
it's a bowling problem um and I know the
fa's gone in and they've done due
diligence and inspections to assure that
the door plugs of the 737 are are
installed properly and the Fasteners are
Tor properly but my concern is what's
the rest of the airplane what's the rest
of condition of the airplane and the
reason my concern for that is back in
2012 boing started removing inspection
operations off their jobs so it left the
mechanics to buy off their own work so
what we're seeing with the door plug
blowout
is what I've seen with the rest of the
airplane as far as Jobs not being
completed properly inspection of steps
being removed um issu is being ignored
my concerns are with the 737 and the 787
because those
programs have really embraced the theory
that quality is overhead and nonv value
added well I'd taken a team of four
inspectors to Spirit Aeros systems to
inspect the 41 section before they sent
it to Charleston and we found 300
defects some of them were significant
that needed engineering um
intervention um when I returned to
Charleston my senior manager told me we
had found too many defects and he was
going to take the next trip so the next
trip he went on he took two of my
inspectors and when they got back they
were given accolades for only finding 50
defects so I pulled that inspector aside
and I said did Spirit really clean up
their act that quick that don't sound
right yeah uh they certainly didn't and
in fact just yesterday Crystal there was
a new report from the FAA that they
caught Spirit Aeros systems mechanics
using liquid Dawn dish soap as lubricant
for that 737 Max door seal instead of
you know the proper
lubricant to use that's how they're
cutting costs um over there in Boeing
and that's why I mean there's been a lot
of Suspicion around Mr Barnett's death
because you can see he was pulling no
punches and this isn't this is
potentially a catastrophic event for
Boeing Boeing is most is most important
Aviation company in the United States
arguably in all of the West huge
military supply contract RoR Etc they
are now facing a Justice Department
investigation criminal investigation in
this matter and you know Alaska really
took every it took the wool I think out
of everybody's eyes on what's going on
with this company and how deep the rot
really goes inside yeah that's right
there's also news this morning that a
six week audit by the FAA of Boeing's
production of the 737 maxjet found
dozens of problems throughout the
manufacturing process according to a
slide presentation that the New York
Times was able to review they initiated
that examination after that door panel
flew off the agency announced the audit
had found multiple instances in which
Boeing and the supplier Spirit AOS
systems failed to comply with quality
control requirements um including the
company had failed 33 of 89 audits
during that examination conducted by the
FAA and um just to speak to you know the
claims that this whistleblower was in
the middle of making when he was found
dead in his vehicle in a parking lot lot
um some of these claims had really been
backed up by evidence according to the
BBC Boeing of course denied all his
assertions we should put that out there
but in 2017 they did a review by the FAA
and it did uphold some of his concerns
it established the location of at least
53 non-conforming Parts in the factory
was unknown and were considered lost
Boeing was order to take remedial action
that's relevant because he had said that
they were pulling uh Parts out of the
scrap Heap that had been rejected as
non-conforming and using them to save
time and cut costs Etc so the fact that
these non-conforming parts were missing
were indicative of you know his story
being accurate on the oxygen cylinders
issue the company said in 2017 it had
identified some oxygen bottles received
from the supplyer that were not
deploying properly but denied that any
of them were actually fitted on the
aircraft but of course he had indicated
that as many as one in four oxygen Mass
were unlikely to deploy because they
were uh defective upon testing so yeah
the fact that he was um you know in the
middle of uh making these complaints
making his voice heard and is found dead
is um extraordinary yeah it's it's
really suspicious and again let's put
this up there this is just days after uh
that the US justice department is now
opening a criminal inquiry into Boeing
this is tied to the Alaska Airlines
incident specifically Boeing also said
told a senate panel it cannot find
record of the work done on the Alaska
plane really
interesting can't find any record and I
just want to take it back to all of the
um I want to take it back to the rot of
this company because Spirit Aeros
systems used to be a part of Boeing and
it was sold off by Boeing in the pursuit
of shareholder ISM and of profit so now
what's happening now as they understand
that they're in deep Boeing is now
trying to Reby Spirit AOS systems and
now they're in a major crisis of the
company because they're fcing a Justice
Department investigation and I mean the
craziest part of all of this is that not
not even a few years ago they were found
liable and nearly faced a murder
prosecution for killing some what
several hundred people in a faulty
software update all of the fixes were
supposed to have been put in place now
they had a new CEO new corporate
practices but this tells you like it's
not the new CEO problem it's that the
company doesn't know how to build an
airplane anymore and that can't get over
it because this is the backbone of us
manufacturer
high-tech manufacturing specifically
it's one of the pride and joys of the US
economy and as usual you know over the
last 70 some or 40 30 40 years now since
the 1970s it turns out that it's all
just a financial fakery they hired Nikki
Haley on the board buying back tens of
billions of dollars worth of their own
stock the stock is doing great you know
before this even after the uh you know
crazy incident that's all they cared
about they never cared about this and
then it all just comes to head when a
freaking door plug blows out of the the
middle of the airplane lucky that it
didn't happen when they were cruising
altitude and several people would have
been sucked out and killed yeah yeah I
think there are two major societal root
cause trends that led to these
terrifying horrifying and in in certain
instances deadly um mistakes number one
is as you're discussing the
financialization of Boeing which is
something we see across companies what
does that mean it means rather than
caring about having the best engineers
and the best product and making sure
damn well sure that it is safe and ready
to go instead they were more focused on
catering to the giant casino that is
Wall Street so and that is not specific
to Boeing but obviously in the instance
of Boeing the results are absolutely
horrifying number two is a uh widespread
Trend across Democratic and Republican
administrations in the neoliberal era of
defanging regulatory bodies and handing
off some of their key functions to IND
industry itself so over successive
administrations including some very
recent deregulation under the Trump
Administration the FAA has basically
handed off a lot of its key functions to
relying on companies like Boeing to
basically
self-certify so I mean it sounds insane
but I'm not kidding this is the
direction that many government agencies
have gone in where they're not even
really capable of doing the sort of
quality control and safety inspections
that would be required to Ure that the
public is kept safe when they're flying
on one of these Jets it's handed off to
Industry so you have the fox watching
the hen house in this instance and many
others and so that's how you end up with
a situation like this where you know so
many things such sloppy work if the uh
testimony of this whistleblower this now
deceased whistleblower is accurate you
know just Total shoty Safety standards
commitment to the bottom line speed
saving cost above else and you know we
see where this leads to yeah no I think
you're exactly right crystal hey guys if
you like that video go to breakingpoints
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