Boeing whistleblower killed himself, says final report; suicide note revealed: 'Enough!! F*** Boeing!!!'



John Barnett, 62, worked for Boeing for over half his life. Prior to his retirement in 2017, he worked on the 787 Dreamliner as a quality manager at the Boeing factory in North Charleston, South Carolina.

In recent years, Barnett adopted a new role as whistleblower against the aerospace and defense corporation.

According to Barnett's lawsuit against Boeing, workers were using "sub-standard" parts on the Boeing 787 aircraft, and leadership was ignoring malfunctions to save money. The whistleblower also claimed the company illegally retaliated against him for raising a stink about possible safety issues.

When Barnett failed to show up to complete his pretrial deposition, police executed a welfare check, ultimately finding him on May 9, dead in his locked Dodge Ram truck outside the Holiday Inn where he was staying with a gunshot wound to the head.

After months of wild speculation and innuendos, the Charleston Police Department revealed on May 17 that it had concluded its investigation into Barnett's death, reported the Post and Courier.

The CPD statement referenced Charleston County Coroner Bobbi Jo O'Neal's final autopsy report, which indicated that all findings were consistent with a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

'Bury me face down so Boeing and their lying-ass leaders can kiss my ass.'

WCBD-TV indicated there were multiple factors that prompted authorities to conclude Barnett took his own life:

  • Barnett was found locked inside his car with the key fob in his pants pocket.
  • There were no signs of forced entry or defensive injuries.
  • Barnett previously struggled with mental health issues.
  • The gun found in Barnett's hand was registered under his name and purchased in 2000.
  • The trajectory of the bullet aligned with the gunshot wound observed and was fired by the decedent's gun.
  • Barnett's phone records and hotel key use showed no signs of unusual activity.
  • Security footage showed Barnett leaving the Holiday Inn on Savannah Highway by himself at 8:37 p.m. the night before his body was found.
  • Footage also shows Barnett's truck backing into a parking spot minutes later — a spot where it remained until the next day.
  • Security footage showed no evidence of anybody besides Barnett interacting with his truck.

Investigators also found what appears to have been a suicide note on the passenger seat of his truck impressed only with Barnett's fingerprints.

A copy of the note obtained by the New York Post reads, "America, come together or die!! I pray the motherf***ers that destroyed my life pay!!! I pray Boeing pays!!! Bury me face down so Boeing and their lying-ass leaders can kiss my ass."

"Whistleblowers protection is f***ed up too!!" Barnett noted. "I can't do this any longer!!! Enough!!"

Extra to writing "TRUMP 2024" and "I wasn't stoned when I wrote this ... really," Barnett apparently wrote, "To my family and friends, I found my purpose."

Authorities claim to have authenticated the handwriting as belonging to Barnett, reported the Post.

"We remain acutely aware of the sensitivity and public interest surrounding this case," a CPD spokesman said in a statement obtained by WCBD. "It is important to emphasize that our investigation was guided strictly by facts and evidence while remaining undisturbed by conjecture and external pressures."

Blaze News previously reported that Barnett sounded the alarm in 2019 that up to 25% of oxygen systems on the 787 Dreamliner could be faulty and fail to work when needed. He also alleged that faulty parts were intentionally installed on aircraft at a Boeing factory and suggested that in at least one instance plane parts were sourced from scrap bins.

Barnett told the New York Times in 2019, "I haven't seen a plane out of Charleston yet that I'd put my name on saying it's safe and airworthy."

Boeing has long denied the allegations even though some of Barnett's concerns were reportedly substantiated by a 2017 Federal Aviation Administration review.

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Boeing at the center of personnel scandals amid whistleblower's death: Stress, drug dealing, and a murder-suicide



Boeing whistleblower John Barnett was recently found dead in his truck with a gunshot wound to his head on the same day he was prepared to testify against the aircraft manufacturer. But this incident is not the only questionable incident to involve the aircraft company over the years.

Leading up to Barnett's death, the company's stock decreased by 4%, representing a five-month low. The sudden descent comes after a series of quality malfunctions were discovered on the company's aircraft. A door plug blew off a 737 MAX 9 that was being operated on by Alaska Airlines on January 5. And a wheel fell off a 777 jet just a few weeks later, according to the New York Post.

As a consequence, the Federal Aviation Administration launched an investigation into the company's "unacceptable" quality control issues.

In 2008, Matthew Montgomery pleaded guilty to one count of destroying property under contract to the government after he cut around 70 electrical wires on a $24 million Chinook military helicopter. He said he did it because he was so frustrated about a job transfer.

He was subsequently sentenced to five months in prison and five months under house arrest. Montgomery went on to say that the assembly-line job had finally gotten to him, adding, “I know now that a factory environment is not the place for me."

In 2011, 23 Boeing employees were busted at a Pennsylvania plant for reportedly selling fentanyl and Oxycontin. Reports mentioned that the FBI and DEA discovered the illegal prescription drug distribution ring at the Ridley Park-based factory, which ultimately led to indictments against 23 people.

DEA Acting Special Agent in Charge Vito Guarino said, "The defendants in this case are accused of diverting controlled substances and selling them to alleged abusers without any medical supervision."

“These sales placed the individual abusers, as well as society at large, at risk. Part of DEA’s mission is to investigate the unlawful diversion of pharmaceutical controlled substances and bring those involved to justice, whether it is a doctor, pharmacist, or street distributor.”

The Post reported that in 2022, Boeing failed to act after discovering that two of its employees who were involved in a love triangle with a supervisor resulted in one employee murdering his colleague.

The estate of Isaiah Washington, 28, filed the Boeing negligence lawsuit after he was shot to death on the street by coworker Ralph O'Connor. O'Connor reportedly killed himself soon after the incident.

However, in January 2024, Boeing attempted to get the case tossed after claiming that the employees were not on the clock when the incident occurred. The lawsuit claimed that both men were sexually involved with supervisor Rachel Pettit, ultimately leading to O'Connor making threats against Washington.

Boeing was informed of the threats leading up to the incident, according to the lawsuit. However, the company claimed that "the complaint contains no allegations suggesting that Boeing knew or should have known that O’Connor might kill or harm someone other than himself.”

The civil case has not yet been resolved, per reports.

And now Barnett — who was in the process of testifying against the aircraft company — was recently found dead. However, Robert Turkewitz and Brian Knowles, Barnett's lawyers, are suspicious that the incident was caused by suicide.

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"John was a brave, honest man of the highest integrity," the lawyers said in a joint statement.

“He cared dearly about his family, his friends, the Boeing company, his Boeing co-workers, and the pilots and people who flew on Boeing aircraft. We have rarely met someone with a more sincere and forthright character.”

Sources familiar with the case told the Post that investigators have dusted Barnett's vehicle for fingerprints. This is a highly unusual move in suicide cases.

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Boeing whistleblower found dead of a gunshot wound; didn't finish testimony against the company



John Barnett, 62, worked for Boeing for 32 years. Prior to his retirement in 2017, he worked on the 787 Dreamliner as a quality manager at the Boeing factory in North Charleston, South Carolina.

Barnett recently became involved in a whistleblower lawsuit against Boeing, blasting the company for allegedly retaliating against him for detailing possible safety issues at the aerospace and defense corporation's factories. He was poised last week to continue with his pretrial deposition but never showed up.

Barnett was found dead Saturday in his truck outside his South Carolina hotel, reported the BBC.

The Charleston County Coroner told the BBC that the Boeing whistleblower died from a "self-inflicted" wound and that police were investigating.

Barnett's attorney, Brian Knowles, told the Corporate Crime Reporter that his client "was supposed to do day three of his deposition here in Charleston on his AIR21 case."

"Today is a tragic day," wrote Knowles. "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. I cross examined him all day yesterday (Friday) and did not finish. We agreed to continue this morning at 10 a.m. (co-counsel) Rob (Turkewitz) kept calling this morning and his (Barnett's) phone would go to voicemail."

Knowles indicated that after multiple failed attempts to hail Barnett, they asked the hotel to check on him.

"They found him in his truck dead from an 'alleged' self-inflicted gunshot," said Knowles.

According to Barnett's lawsuit, workers were using "sub-standard" parts on Boeing 787 aircraft and leadership was glossing over malfunctions to save money, reported the Daily Mail.

Barnett told the BBC in 2019 that up to 25% of oxygen systems on the 787 Dreamliner could be faulty and fail to work when needed. He also suggested that faulty parts were intentionally installed on planes at a Boeing factory and alleged that in at least one instance plane parts were sourced from scrap bins.

"As a quality manager at Boeing, you're the last line of defense before a defect makes it out to the flying public," the whistleblower told the New York Times in 2019. "And I haven't seen a plane out of Charleston yet that I'd put my name on saying it's safe and airworthy."

While the company denied the allegations, some of Barnett's concerns were reportedly substantiated by a 2017 Federal Aviation Administration review.

Barnett remained critical of Boeing in recent years, especially as various malfunctions and production concerns made headlines.

For instance, when pressed about the Jan. 5 incident where the door plug of a commercial Boeing 737 Max 9 came off as the plane was ascending, Barnett told TMZ, "This is not a 737 problem, this is a Boeing problem."

"I know the FAA has gone in and done due diligence and inspections to ensure that the door plugs on the 737 are installed properly and the fasteners are installed properly, but my concern is ... what is the condition of the rest of the airplane?" said Barnett.

RIP John Barnett $BA
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Boeing said in a statement, "We are saddened by Mr. Barnett's passing, and our thoughts are with his family and friends."

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