When the unused emergency door of the 737 Max belonging to the American aviation company Boeing suddenly broke off, the debate on quality standards for the company flared up. John Barnett, who worked at the company at the center of criticism for 32 years and recently raised concerns about Boeing's quality standards, was found dead.

INVESTIGATION LAUNCHED

Barnett, who was supposed to testify in a lawsuit against Boeing the day before his death, was found dead in a vehicle in the parking lot of the hotel where he was staying after he failed to appear. It was recorded that Barnett died as a result of a "self-inflicted" injury. In 2017, an investigation was launched into the death of Barnett, who retired.

In a statement released by Boeing, the company expressed sadness over Barnett's death.

Barnett's death comes at a time when both Boeing and its main supplier Spirit Aerosystems are under intense scrutiny for their manufacturing standards.

"UNQUALIFIED PARTS ARE PULLED FROM SCRAP BINS AND INSTALLED ON AIRPLANES"

In an interview in 2019, Barnett, who has worked as a quality manager at the Boeing factory where the North Charleston 787 Dreamliners are built since 2010, said that workers working under pressure were deliberately installing poor quality parts on the planes.

Noting that serious problems with the oxygen systems on the aircraft were covered up, Barnett added that this meant that one of the 4 oxygen masks would not work in an emergency.

Shortly after he started working in South Carolina, he said he became concerned that the assembly process for the new planes was being rushed and that safety was being compromised, but the company denied this.

In some cases, he said, inferior parts were taken out of scrap bins and installed on the planes to avoid delays on the production line. Barnett said he had reported his concerns to executives but had not received any feedback.

STATEMENT FROM KENNEDY

Robert F. Kennedy, who is running as an independent in the US Presidential Election, said today, "John Barnett worked at Boeing for 32 years. The company tried to ruin his life after they uncovered his safety concerns. I am proud that my sister Rory is trying to tell his story in her award-winning documentary, 'Collapse: The Case Against Boeing. ' Boeing killed 346 people because of greed. We hope there will be a real investigation into John Barnett's 'suicide'."

FAILED 33 OUT OF 89 TESTS

The US New York Times newspaper included bombshell details in its news about the Boeing MAX 737 type airplanes, which have been at the center of controversy for the last few months. According to NYT, the 737 Max failed 33 out of 89 tests in the US Federal Aviation Administration's (FAA) review of the production process.

The FAA also conducted 13 product inspections focused on Spirit AeroSystems, which manufactures the 737 Max's fuselage parts. Spirit AeroSystems passed six of the 13 tests and failed seven.

According to the presentation, most of the issues identified by the auditors fall into the category of non-compliance with the 'approved manufacturing process and procedure'. Other issues related to quality control documentation.