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.
I don’t know why Boeing would wait 6 or 7 years to kill him, right in the middle of his deposition, at the exact moment it would greatly intensify exposure of the story.
I hope people focus on the facts he was sharing-- that Boeing was taking safety shortcuts and ignoring clear risks to keep production deadlines–and what that means about possible risks to the millions of Americans that fly, not fall off into conspiracy land.
to make an example so others dont blow the whistle