Boeing: Dead whistleblower warned of safety breaches

A former Boeing employee, who was found dead in March, accused the company of "countless" violations of US law in testimony given just before his death. John Barnett claimed the firm tried to "eliminate" quality inspections at a plant that makes 787 planes. The former quality control manager had been giving a formal legal deposition against the plane manufacturer. The 62-year-old's death after two days of testimony was from a "self-inflicted gunshot wound", officials said. Boeing says it was "saddened" by Barnett's death, but said the issues he raised had been reviewed and addressed. The aerospace giant's safety standards are currently under the spotlight, in part due to an incident in January when a disused door fell off a brand new 737 Max shortly after take-off. The transcript of Barnett's deposition has now been released by his lawyers. The lengthy document runs to more than 140 pages. Barnett had worked for Boeing for more than 30 years before his retirement on health grounds in 2017. He subsequently filed a lawsuit against the company, claiming he had suffered retaliation from managers after raising a number of serious safety concerns, a charge the company denies.<br/>