A Boeing whistleblower was found dead from a self-inflicted wound inside his car outside a hotel in Charleston, South Carolina. John Barnett was found dead on March 9. He worked for Boeing for 32 years until he retired in 2017. Barnett came forward with concerns about defective parts and serious problems with the oxygen masks. The 62-year-old, who had a 32-year tenure with the company until his retirement in 2017, died on March 9 during a break from depositions in a whistleblower retaliation lawsuit.
“He also claimed that tests on emergency oxygen systems due to be fitted to the 787 showed a failure rate of 25%, meaning that one in four could fail to deploy in a real-life emergency.” – BBC reported.
BBC reported:
A former Boeing employee known for raising concerns about the firm’s production standards has been found dead in the US.
John Barnett had worked for Boeing for 32 years, until his retirement in 2017.
In the days before his death, he had been giving evidence in a whistleblower lawsuit against the company.
Boeing said it was saddened to hear of Mr Barnett’s passing. The Charleston County coroner confirmed his death to the BBC on Monday.
It said the 62-year-old had died from a “self-inflicted” wound on 9 March and police were investigating.
Mr Barnett had worked for the US plane giant for 32 years, until his retirement in 2017 on health grounds.
Barnett’s apparent suicide comes after several Boeing planes have been grounded due to major issues with the aircraft’s construction.
A United Airlines Boeing 737 Max 8 suffered gear failure last Friday and crashed off the runway at Houston’s George Bush Intercontinental Airport.
Friday’s gear failure comes one day after a United Airlines Boeing 777 plane was forced to make an emergency landing after it lost a tire during takeoff.
The United plane was taking off from San Francisco when one of the six tires detached from the aircraft and damaged several cars in the parking lot. The flight was diverted to LAX where it safely landed.
In January a large piece of an Alaska Airlines Boeing 737 MAX blew out in mid-air.
The plane door flew off amid Boeing’s focus on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) hiring practices over a passenger’s safety.
According to the Daily Mail, Barnett was reportedly found with a ‘silver handgun’ in his hand and his finger on the trigger. A suicide note was also found on the passenger side of the vehicle. The contents of the note were not released.
His attorneys, Robert Turkewitz and Brian Knowles, have publicly questioned the conclusion that Barnett took his own life, urging the Charleston police for a thorough investigation. They emphasized Barnett’s upbeat spirits before his scheduled deposition and expressed disbelief that he would commit suicide.
“John was in the midst of a deposition in his whistleblower case, which finally was nearing the end,” Barnett’s lawyers said, according to The New York Post. “He was in very good spirits and really looking forward to putting this phase of his life behind him and moving on.”
The New York Post reported:
Lawyers for a Boeing whistleblower found dead on the day he was due to testify against the jetliner giant are questioning that he killed himself in a South Carolina parking lot — and calling for an investigation.
“We need more information about what happened to John,” attorneys Robert Turkewitz and Brian Knowles, who represent former Boeing manager John Barnett, said in a statement Tuesday. “The Charleston police need to investigate this fully and accurately and tell the public.
“We didn’t see any indication he would take his own life,” they added. “No one can believe it.”
“No detail can be left unturned.”
Barnett, 62, was due in court for further testimony in a bombshell lawsuit against the company when he was found dead, with the Charleston County coroner ruling the cause as a “self-inflicted” wound.
Barnett was a quality control engineer who worked for the airline for more than three decades before he retired in 2017 — and two years later told the BBC that Boeing cut corners by rushing to get its 787 Dreamliner jets off the production line and into service.
Turkewitz and Knowles said he was also “in very good spirits” as he prepared to give a deposition against the company on Monday.
Hotel staff members also recounted Barnett appearing completely normal on the evening preceding his death.
In a shocking revelation to ABC News, a close family friend of John Barnett disclosed his haunting premonition before his untimely death.
Jennifer, whose mother has been lifelong friends with Barnett’s mother, shared that Barnett had expressed concerns about potentially ending up dead in a scenario falsely framed as suicide.
Jennifer recounted her conversations with Barnett, emphasizing his love for life and dismissing any possibility that he could have taken his own life.
“He wasn’t concerned about safety because I asked him, I said, aren’t you scared? And his voice and the way he would talk, ‘no, I ain’t scared,’ he said, but if anything happens to me, it’s not suicide. I know that he did not commit suicide. There’s no way. He loved life too much. He loved his family too much. He loved his brothers too much to put them through what they’re going through right now,” she said.
Barnett’s premonition has now become a chilling focal point for those demanding a thorough investigation into his death. His claim, perceived as a warning, has ignited speculation and concern over potential foul play.
John Barnett : ‘If anything happens, it’s not suicide’:
Boeing whistleblower’s prediction to family before death pic.twitter.com/KVmuXf5Lwo
— Bad Kitty Unleashed 🦁 (@pepesgrandma) March 15, 2024
Sources:
- https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2024/03/lawyers-boeing-whistleblower-found-dead-his-car-as/
- https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2024/03/just-boeing-whistleblower-found-dead-self-inflicted-wound/
- https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2024/03/boeing-whistleblower-who-died-suspiciously-told-his-friend/
