Just when you thought it couldn't get any more bizarre or surreal, the Boeing story did just that.
As previously reported, the aerospace giant has been under regulatory scrutiny following a string of safety-related incidents since the beginning of the year (really, since 2019 when two of its 737 MAXes fell out of the sky like overpriced deadly paperweight, but let's just skip to the latest snafu), starting with a door blowing off a flight and continuing with multiple other incidents, including a cracked cockpit window, bolts missing on a wing, various wheels falling off during takeoff in at least two incidents and several engine fires/failures.
And as the pressure ratchets up on Boeing, it's becoming increasingly obvious that management is running the same type of interference it did during the infamous MCAS scandal and ensuing cover-up attempt which cost former CEO Muilenburg his job. Sure enough, on Wednesday we learned that Boeing - in a pure coincidence that Jeffrey Epstein would approve of - "overwrote", i.e. deleted, security camera footage showing work being done on a door that blew out on the Alaska Airlines MAX jet in January.
It's not just the footage however: NTSB Chair Jennifer Homendy said it is unclear "who performed the work to open, reinstall, and close the door plug on the accident aircraft," as Boeing is "unable to find the records documenting this work." In Homendy's letter, she writes that despite requests to Boeing and interviews at the Renton, Washington factory where the panel was removed, the identity of the crew member that worked on the panel remains unknown and has would be unable to "provide a statement or interview to NTSB due to medical issues."
National Transportation Safety Board Chair Jennifer Homendy directly appealed to Boeing CEO Dave Calhoun for information, expressing frustration over Boeing's claim of missing records and security footage. The situation underscores growing tensions between the NTSB and Boeing, with the NTSB criticizing the aerospace giant for not providing necessary documents and information to fully investigate the incident.
Meanwhile, what would a catastrophe in a company near and dear to the government - and of course, the deep state - be without questionable trading surrounding the incident in Congress? In filings reported on Wednesday, it was revealed that Congressman William R. Keating sold somewhere between $1,001 and $15,000 worth of Boeing shares on February 28.
He's the latest Congress critter to have "excellent timing" when it comes to stock trades: while it isn't Fed Governor Raphael Bostic selling massive S&P futures lots ahead of Fed minutes dropping, the sale took place the day before it was announced that the DOJ was investigating Boeing. Recall, on February 29, Bloomberg wrote that the DOJ was "looking into" the Boeing door plug blowout that took place earlier that month. Since his sale, Boeing's stock value has tumbled by about 11%.
Finally, the epic culmination - at least so far - of the shitstorm that has engulfed Boeing, we noted yesterday that a key whistleblower, a former quality control manager at the company who raised concerns about the firm's production standards, was found dead after an apparent suicide.
John Barnett, a former veteran Boeing employee of 32 years, passed away from a self-inflicted wound on March 9, the BBC reported on Monday evening. Barnett was involved in a whistleblower lawsuit against Boeing, alleging serious safety concerns at the North Charleston plant, where he managed quality for the 787 Dreamliner production. Boeing was in Charleston for legal interviews related to the lawsuit when he was found dead.
He claimed the push for speed compromised safety, with sub-standard parts being used and a significant failure rate in emergency oxygen systems. Despite raising these issues, he felt his concerns were disregarded, leading to legal action against Boeing, alleging career damage due to his whistleblowing.
So between Barnett who "suicided" himself, and now the video footage which also also apparently was "accidentally" snuffed out, we wonder just who is next on the Epstein escalator of "not suiciding themselves" at Boeing?
