John Barnett, a former Boeing employee who raised concerns over the company's production standards, was found dead in his truck in the parking lot of his South Carolina hotel on March 9, just days after providing testimony in a whistleblower lawsuit against the aircraft manufacturer. The Charleston County Coroner's Office told the BBC that Barnett, 62, died from an apparent "self-inflicted" gunshot wound.
Barnett, who worked for Boeing for 32 years before retiring in 2017, had been staying at the hotel to provide a deposition in the lawsuit. His attorney, Brian Knowles, expressed doubt about the circumstances of Barnett's death, calling the self-inflicted gunshot "alleged."
"Today is a tragic day," Knowles told Corporate Crime Reporter. "John had been back and forth for quite some time getting prepared. The defense examined him for their allowed seven hours under the rules on Thursday."
Knowles and his co-counsel had been calling Barnett's phone on Saturday, but the calls went to voicemail. "We then asked the hotel to check on him," Knowles said. "They found him in his truck dead from an 'alleged' self-inflicted gunshot. We drove to the hotel and spoke with the police and the coroner."
Barnett had worked as a quality control engineer at Boeing's factory in South Carolina. In 2019, he made allegations against the company after his safety concerns about cutting corners and using sub-standard parts to build planes were allegedly ignored by managers. Barnett claimed that employees at the South Carolina plant frequently fitted substandard parts on planes and reported faulty oxygen systems that could result in oxygen masks not working properly. He also said he knew of at least one case where workers used parts from scrap bins and fitted them into planes.
"I haven't seen a plane out of Charleston yet that I'd put my name on saying it's safe and airworthy," Barnett told The New York Times in 2019. He had accused Boeing of denigrating his character and hampering his career, claims which the company has denied.
In response to Barnett's death, Boeing released a statement saying, "We are saddened by Mr. Barnett's passing, and our thoughts are with his family and friends."
The whistleblower's death comes at a time when Boeing is under increased scrutiny following a series of safety issues on board its aircraft. Last week, a Boeing 777 jetliner flying to Japan was forced to make an emergency landing shortly after takeoff from San Francisco when a wheel fell off and dropped into an airport parking lot. In January, an Alaska Airlines Boeing 737 Max 9 suffered a door blowout shortly after take off while flying at 16,000 feet. Additionally, two fatal crashes involving the Boeing 737 MAX in 2018 and 2019 have further tarnished the company's reputation.
It remains unclear what will happen regarding the legal case Barnett brought against Boeing, as he was expected to attend a court hearing to provide further testimony.The circumstances surrounding his death have raised questions and concerns among those close to the case, with his attorney expressing skepticism about the alleged self-inflicted nature of the gunshot wound.
"John Barnett worked for Boeing for 32 years. The company worked to destroy his life after he exposed safety concerns." Robert F. Kennedy Jr, independent candidate for President of the United States, Wrote on X. "I'm proud that my sister Rory worked to tell his story in her award winning documentary Downfall: The Case Against Boeing. Boeing killed 346 people out of greed. Let's hope there is a genuine investigation of John Barnett's 'suicide.'"
HOLY SMOKES—A famous whistleblower against @Boeing on safety issues, has just been suddenly found dead in his truck in his hotel parking lot—all while **testifying in the middle of his week of depositions** against Boeing. JFC. Many of John Barnett’s claims about dangerous… pic.twitter.com/0XRT3lFJqr — Eric Feigl-Ding (@DrEricDing) March 11, 2024
As the investigation into Barnett's death continues, the loss of a key witness in the whistleblower lawsuit against Boeing has cast a shadow over the proceedings and the company's ongoing struggles with safety issues. The tragic event underscores the importance of protecting whistleblowers who come forward to expose potential wrongdoing and the need for thorough and transparent investigations into their claims.
