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.

  • 4grams@awful.systems
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    8 months ago

    I am not a conspiracy theorist. Reality is trying it’s damnedest to make me one.

  • EatATaco@lemm.ee
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    8 months ago

    ITT: The equivalent of Trump supporters confusing the fact that they are suspicious that the election was stolen, with actually knowing so.

    • thesporkeffect@lemmy.world
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      8 months ago

      Well, Boeing is demonstrably willing, even determined, to choose financial short term gain over any amount of human lives or reputation loss. It would be shocking if it was truly an accident that saved Boeing from a second day of testimony right when everything is starting to really fall apart for them, right?

      • EatATaco@lemm.ee
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        8 months ago

        Notice how you haven’t offered up any evidence. Just motivation to kill him (even that’s tenuous at best).

        You know what Trump supporters often argue? That the “deep state” had motive to stop Trump from becoming POTUS, which is what makes their claims reasonable.

        In this case, you’re acting just like them.

        • thesporkeffect@lemmy.world
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          8 months ago

          I don’t disagree with you. But evidence of Boeing being willing to trade lives for profit is super, super easy to find right now. If you aren’t being disingenuous I am willing to do some of the labor you are asking for

          • EatATaco@lemm.ee
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            8 months ago

            You are just justifying being suspicious. I’m suspicious too. You don’t need to convince me of rhay.

            But it’s 100% possible for them to be willing to kill him but he still killed himself. Right now I’ve seen no evidence that they did it. It’s all blind speculation.

            • thesporkeffect@lemmy.world
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              8 months ago

              I didn’t say they did although I would personally place it at like a 60% likelihood. Obviously there’s no evidence, this literally just happened.

              Just wanted to be clear that I live in reality and no one has the security camera footage yet.

    • UnderpantsWeevil@lemmy.world
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      8 months ago

      He just wandered out to his car and died, bro. In the middle of a deposition. Its actually incredibly normal, bro. Why are you asking all these questions, bro? He just died, okay? Its fine.

  • 🍔🍔🍔@toast.ooo
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    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

    • linearchaos@lemmy.world
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      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
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        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
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          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.