An Air India Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner flying from Ahmedabad to London Gatwick crashed shortly after takeoff on Thursday, killing 241 of 242 people on board. It was the first fatal accident involving a Boeing 787 since the aircraft entered service in 2009.
The crash has turned the spotlight back on long-standing concerns about Boeing's manufacturing practices. It brings a renewed focus on John Barnett, a former quality manager and Boeing whistleblower who flagged safety lapses in the Dreamliner programme before his mysterious death last year.
Who Was John Barnett?
John Barnett was born on February 23, 1962, in California. After his parents' separation, he moved to Louisiana, with his mother and three older brothers. A graduate of Bolton High School, Mr Barnett started his career as a cab driver before joining the US Air Force. When training opportunities fell through, he switched paths and joined Rockwell International in Palmdale, California, where he worked on parts for NASA's Space Shuttle programme, including the Atlantis orbiter.
In the 1980s, Mr Barnett also worked as an electrician on the B-1 Lancer bomber. He later settled on Camano Island, Washington, and joined Boeing in 1988 as a quality inspector. He rose through the ranks and, by 2010, was working at Boeing's South Carolina plant in North Charleston, the assembly line for the 787 Dreamliner.
What John Barnett Said About Boeing
At the North Charleston plant between 2010 and 2017, Mr Barnett raised red flags...
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