John Barnett, a former Boeing employee who had reportedly raised concerns about the company's production issues, was found dead of an apparent suicide, according to authorities in South Carolina.This image, taken Jan. 7 and released by the National Transportation Safety Board, shows a section of Alaska Airlines Flight 1282 in Portland, Ore. It is missing a panel that blew out during the Boeing 737-9 MAX's flight.
Boeing has since had to reckon with a full-blown crisis around its safety and quality standards. Its production has been curbed by U.S. regulators, leading to delivery delays across the aerospace industry. "Obviously we respect the independence of DOJ and NTSB doing their own work," Buttigieg told reporters Monday, "but we are not neutral on the question of whether Boeing should fully co-operate with any entity — NTSB, us, or DOJ. They should, and we expect them to."Buttigieg said Boeing must "go through a serious transformation here in terms of their responsiveness, their culture and their quality issues.
The report said seven of 13 audits that focused on Spirit AeroSystems, which makes the body of the aircraft, also failed. One example cited was the use of liquid Dawn dish soap to lubricate a door seal during a "fit-up" process.