A former Boeing employee has tragically died in an apparent suicide, and the timing of this sure is… kind of chilling?
In this post:
Whistleblower dies during legal trial with Boeing
62-year-old John Barnett worked at Boeing for 32 years, until his retirement in 2017. In recent years, he has become known for being a whistleblower, raising concerns about the company’s production standards.
Barnett had been pursuing legal action against Boeing, accusing the company of denigrating his character and hampering his career due to what he exposed about the company.
Last week, Barnett had been in Charleston for legal interviews linked to this case. He gave a formal deposition in which he was questioned by Boeing lawyers, before being cross-examined. During this, he had been providing evidence in his lawsuit against the company, related to Boeing’s quality defects.
Barnett was supposed to undergo more questioning on Saturday, March 9, 2024. However, he didn’t show up in court. Questions about his whereabouts were raised, and the hotel where he was staying was contacted. He was subsequently found dead in his truck in the hotel parking lot.
The Charleston County coroner confirmed the death on Monday, and stated the cause of death was a “self-inflicted” wound.
Boeing issued a statement that “we are saddened by Mr. Barnett’s passing, and our thoughts are with his family and friends.”
Whatever happened here, this is tragic, and my thoughts are with Barnett’s family.
The Boeing issues that Barnett brought up
Starting in 2010, Barnett worked as a quality manager at Boeing’s 787 Dreamliner plant in Charleston, and he worked there until 2017, when he retired. During this time, he became concerned that Boeing’s priority was building new aircraft as quickly as possible, even if it meant compromising safety, a philosophy directly at odds with what he was supposed to oversee.
In recent years, the details he has shared have played a part in the case against Boeing. Among other things, Barnett had claimed that:
- Workers had been deliberately fitting sub-standards parts to aircraft on the production line
- There were problems with oxygen systems, which could mean one in four breathing masks would not work in an emergency
- Workers failed to follow procedures intended to track components through the factories, allowing defective components to go missing
- Sub-standard parts had been removed from scrap bins and fitted to planes that were being built, to prevent delays on the production line
When Barnett alerted managers of what he observed, no action was taken. Of course it’s worth stating that Boeing denies these allegations. However, a review by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) found merit to some of Barnett’s concerns. And I think at this point, the whole world has seen how Boeing’s priority is profit over safety.
Bottom line
A Boeing whistleblower who was in the middle of a court case with the aircraft manufacturer died in an apparent suicide, on the same day he was supposed to be in court. Barnett had worked at Boeing for 32 years, and did a lot to expose the company’s shortcomings.
This is tragic, and my thoughts are with Barnett’s family…
If you are having thoughts of suicide, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255 (TALK). You can find a list of additional resources at SpeakingOfSuicide.com/resources.
I’m sure Boeing will just borrow more money for future stock buybacks.
Per the guy's own family. "He was suffering from PTSD and anxiety attacks as a result of being subjected to the hostile work environment at Boeing which we believe led to his death"
I'm sure it was seen to by the powers that be that they said this. Absolutely coerced.
At least he didn’t fall out of a window.
The Empire Strikes Back. Whistleblower dead. Alaska Airlines thrown under the bus with new info about the plane not being taken out of service. Hmmm.
I remember back in the 1960s a DC based Department of Agriculture inspector was in South Texas investigating crooked crop payments. He was found in his car with double barrel shotgun blast (both triggers pulled. The Texas Sheriff ruled it a suicide.
Now Boeing doesn’t have anyone that has experience in military executions. Why would we have any reason not to trust them.
And the hits keep on coming.
Boeing is using Dawn dish soap and hotel key cards in the manf process, which are not to spec.
https://jalopnik.com/hotel-keycards-and-dawn-dish-soap-used-in-737-max-produ-1851327536
What hotel?
Good question. At least boeing is using name brand Dawn and not a generic.
The hotel of Last Resort ???
Perhaps, the bigger question is .. how does someone supposedly 'commit suicide' in a hotel carpark and it goes 'unnoticed', either from the noise of a gunshot or by lack of visual cues from security cameras surrounding a hotel ?
I find it implausible that this poor individual was only found after a court-invoked search. That, in itself, has to raise questions.
I'm far from a Boeing fanboy, but using dish soap to help install the seal would be acceptable. The problem is it wasn't specifically called out. The key card was probably about the right thickness and firmness. Unfortunately, with this much scrutiny, it won't be allowed to fly. (Pun not intended)
It was the Illuminati.
It was Biden's Justice Department.
It was the Deep State.
It was Hunter Biden.
It was Killary.
It was [your conspiracy here].
The comments on this are awesome, btw.
It was your bad breath.
They sent in Hillary
I'm confused - is it normal for a big business to hire a contract killer or something to eliminate a someone who's threat to them in the US? Or are you all saying that they killed him just because it's Boeing?
Hi guys, I've created a petition to push the DOJ to launch a criminal investigation on Boeing. Would you guys help to sign this and make some changes to the world? Thanks!
https://chng.it/dYDcjBHYR6
They already are
DOJ investigating one of the countries largest defense contractors and exporter. Then there's the activities from their PAC, especially in an election year.
No conflicts of interest here to see. No conspiracy, it's a suicide.
Has anything ever been accomplished by a change.org petition except wasted time?
It's dispiriting that media and others are just accepting his death as suicide as reported by authorities. Given the way the US regime and Boeing have been exposed repeatedly as intertwined and covering each others arses, this feels so suspicious and dodgy. Can you imagine if this was Russia who reported a whistleblower was found dead "due to self-inflicted woulds" - western media would be having field day!
Rather than "being suicided" the question is whether the stress of being a whistleblower became too much.
Taking on a massive company is not for the faint of heart and he started doing it long before it became fashionable to bash Boeing.
He probably did bring things to light and kept doing so until people in Washington listened.
Boeing is in an unbelievably hot seat right now and the feds appear to...
Rather than "being suicided" the question is whether the stress of being a whistleblower became too much.
Taking on a massive company is not for the faint of heart and he started doing it long before it became fashionable to bash Boeing.
He probably did bring things to light and kept doing so until people in Washington listened.
Boeing is in an unbelievably hot seat right now and the feds appear to not be willing to let up any time soon.
Only time will tell whether his testimony and death was enough to force real change at Boeing - not just for the benefit of the company but for the lives that are dependent on Boeing to build quality products.
Wow. A coherent, logical post by Mr. Dunn for a change.
the others were coherent also. You just didn't agree with them so thought the problem was me.
I'm shocked he didn't use this as an opportunity to promote Delta.
They don’t call you Dim without reason
what do they call me master?
a fraud
You know what they say about broken clocks
Tragic all around. Prayers, peace and respect for the family.
Yahoo news is reporting that FAA audits discovered that mechanics at Boeing used Dawn liquid soap as a lubricant to fit a 737 Max door seal.
Unfortunately, this is very believable.
I'm okay with it as long as they slapped the door after and said that's not going anywhere.
Not too concerned about the lubricant used for a non-moving part, even if it's soap. Far more concerned with the sealants they may or may not have used...
Boeing is a company that kills people. Whether it is poor safety. Or it is unconditional support for Israel in its genocide in Gaza. It is an evil company that should be boycotted wherever possible.
Why did you need to rear your ugly, Jew-hating face. Your comment is both inaccurate and despicable. FREE THE HOSTAGES NOW!
I agree. Free the Palestinian hostages, including thousands of Children, who are held illegally in Israeli prisons in violation of International law
Hard to be Jew-hating when I am Jewish myself.
> Hard to be Jew-hating when I am Jewish myself.
Doubt
Did you take this picture using a phone that fell down a 19th-century chimney?
God rest his soul. Traumatized people will do anything. And so will desperate companies eager to protect 'the brand'..
Hmmm, whistleblower found dead in the middle of testimony against a multi-million dollar company due to "suicide". Right, not suspicious at all.
Multi Billion.
Not multi million.
Suicide is more common than most people think, especially in men.
Here in the UK (according to NHS) taking ones own life has overtaken car accidents deaths as the leading cause of death in men under 50.
Boeing and guns kill people.
Guns only kill when pointed at someone or misused.
No, people kill people.
No, Boeing kills people who happen to be whistleblowers exposing dangerous practices at high cost to them
totally not suspicious at all. /s
Well...they've already killed like hundreds of people with the Max...what's one more to them.
"Was suicided" is more like it.
Yes Prime Minister moment!
One line from Muriel’s Wedding came into my mind as I read about this tragedy…. “It’s Deidre Chambers! What a coincidence!”
Yup! "Self inflicted wound By Boeing".
Right in the middle of his own case against Boeing, when Boeing's image is at (the current) rock bottom, he suddenly just decides to kill himself.
Nothing suspicious here at all.
Certainly untimely and tragic …..
Had an interesting conversation with some Boeing employees two weeks back, one of which certainly was in a position to know about employee quality control issues in the company. Speaking as a retired auditor and former aerospace worker at a company that did business with Boeing, what I heard gave me a distinctly negative impression about onboarding within the company.