It looks like John Barnett was right all along, and he’ll never be able to know it.
The crash involving Air India flight AI171 in Ahmedabad has once again highlighted what Barnett was trying to say in 2024 when the Boeing whistleblower gave evidence questioning production standards in a lawsuit against Boeing.
An Air India flight AI171, a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, carrying 232 passengers and 10 crew members, crashed shortly after takeoff from Ahmedabad to London this week.
A video captured the aircraft struggling to gain altitude before crashing into a fireball.
John Barnett, who was a former Boeing quality manager and whistleblower, was found dead in March 2024. Police would later confirm that the 62-year-old died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
2024: Just before “committing suicide”, Boeing whistleblower John Barnett warned of major quality issues in the company’s 787 aircraft that could lead to a fatal crash.
Today: Air India Boeing 787 bound for London crashes shortly after takeoff killing 242 people.
RIP pic.twitter.com/NwGtpqpKLR
— James Li (@5149jamesli) June 12, 2025
The reason why Barnett’s death is considered suspicious is because it occurred during a legal deposition related to a whistleblower lawsuit against Boeing.
Barnett claimed the firm tried to “eliminate” quality inspections at a plant that makes 787 planes.
Barnett had previously told the BBC and others that managers there had routinely ignored formal procedures in order to build planes as quickly as possible.
Now, hundreds of families are devastated after their loved ones tragically passed away on the same type of plane he was warning everyone about.
Whistleblower John Barnett’s Family Filed Wrongful Death Lawsuit
Boeing whistleblower John Barnett, found dead from ‘self-inflicted wounds,’ previously warned about the safety of 787 planes.
The 62-year-old had died from a “self-inflicted” wound in 2024.
The family of John Barnett sued the airplane maker, saying that Barnett’s “PTSD, depression, anxiety, and panic attacks, all caused by Boeing’s wrongful conduct, caused him to take his own life.”
In response to the new lawsuit, Boeing said in a brief statement sent to NPR, “We are saddened by John Barnett’s death and extend our condolences to his family.”