John Barnett, 62, worked for Boeing for 32 years before he retired in 2017. In those three decades of serving the aerospace company, he was a quality manager for 17 years.
It was in 2012 when he first filed a complaint on Boeing’s malpractices, but nobody believed him, and no investigation took place.
Company officials publicly humiliated him for following internal protocols and set guidelines. They also transferred him to a new shift.
Barnett is one of the many whistleblowers who stepped forward and exposed Boeing’s lack of quality control.
On March 9, he was found dead.
Charleston County Coroner Bobbi Jo O’Neal confirmed in his report on Friday that Barnett has died of suicide. The whistleblower shot himself through the left temple, which led to his immediate death.
Next to his body was a curse-filled suicide note with the words, “FUCK BOEING!”
He also wrote, “I can’t do this any longer.”
“Enough!”
The whistleblower continued, “Bury me face down so Boeing and their lying ass leaders can kiss my ass.”
Another line on his note was for Americans to unite and fight against injustice. He said, “America, come together or die!”
He further said, “I pray the motherf–that destroyed my life pay! I pray Boeing pays!”
According to authorities, the handwriting was indeed of Barnett, and only his fingerprints were on the notebook.
He also sent his thoughts to his loved ones.
“To my family and friends, I found my purpose. I’m at peace, I love you more.”
Barnett attended the first day of deposition in March for a lawsuit against the airplane manufacturer.
When he failed to arrive for the scheduled continuation of his testimony, his lawyer requested a wellness check. That was when he was found with a gunshot wound to the head.
According to Barnett’s lawyers, Robert Turkewitz and Brian Knowles, “Mr. Barnett’s last words make clear that while Boeing may not have pulled the trigger, the company is responsible for his death.”
His lawyers lamented that Barnett had been suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder, anxiety, and panic attacks before deciding to end his life. All these began when he brought a lawsuit against Boeing for attacking him after raising safety questions.
“His mental condition was a result of the retaliation and hostile work environment he was subjected to in response to his complaint that Boeing senior management was pressuring workers to disregard processes and procedures required by law to be followed, allowing defective parts to be installed on the airplanes, and disregarding and ignoring problems that he believed pose a potential threat to the flying public,” said Barnett’s attorneys.
During an interview with the New York Times in 2019, Barnett shared that he was removed from an aircraft project after he alerted his manager on debris that could potentially short the plane’s electronic functions and cause fire.
“I said, ‘I won’t sign off on it. I won’t accept it.’ So, I was removed from it,” Boeing’s former quality manager said.
Months before his death, one of Boeing’s airplanes blew off mid-flight that created a gaping hole which sucked out passengers’ belongings and forced an emergency landing.
Read Charleston County Coroner Bobbi Jo O’Neal report below:
