A Boeing whistleblower who died suddenly in the midst of a lawsuit against the aerospace company has been confirmed to have committed suicide, with the blame squarely laid at the feet of his former employer.
John Barnett worked for Boeing for 35 years as a “full-time” quality control manager for aircraft manufacturing, winning numerous awards before retiring. Obituary state. He died on March 9 in South Carolina at the age of 62 from what police described as a “self-inflicted wound,” Breitbart News reported. report.
Charleston County Coroner Bobby Joe O’Neill’s report was finally released Friday, confirming that Barnett shot himself in the head with a pistol and that a suicide note was found next to his body.
“FUCK BOEING!!!” was handwritten in capital letters, according to Fox News. review of memo.
“I can’t do this anymore,” Barnett continued. “I’ve had enough!”
“Bury me face down so Boeing and their lying executives can kiss my ass,” the whistleblower added.
“Mr. Barnett’s final words make it clear that while Boeing did not pull the trigger, the company bears responsibility for his death,” Barnett’s lawyers, Robert Turkewitz and Brian Knowles, said in a statement to Fox News. obtained on tuesday:
“Mr. Barnett’s family would like to thank the coroner, responders and all those who offered kind words and support. It is hoped that John’s work will be a valiant effort to get Boeing to change its culture of cover-up to one that prioritizes quality and safety.”
Lawyers say Barnett suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder, anxiety and panic attacks before committing suicide during a lawsuit he filed against Boeing in retaliation for raising safety concerns. He said investigators had proven he had been suffering from a seizure.
Mr Barnett’s lawyer continued.
His mental condition was the result of the retaliation and hostile work environment he suffered in response to complaints that Boeing’s senior management pressured employees to ignore processes and procedures that they were required to follow by law, allowed defective parts to be installed on aircraft, and ignored and disregarded issues that he believed posed a potential threat to the flying public.
Barnett was one of several employees to blow the whistle on safety misconduct at the aircraft manufacturer, starting with the 2019 crash. interview with The New York Times In it, he recalled being removed from an aircraft project after warning managers about debris that could short out the plane’s electronic functions and cause a fire.
“I said, ‘I don’t approve. I don’t accept,’ and I was removed,” Barnett, who went by the nickname “Swampy” in the interview, told reporter Natalie Kitroev. .
“It was delivered without being cleaned,” he claimed.
Barnett was adamant that debris, including nuts, bolts, fasteners, rags, bubble wrap, trash and tools, had been carelessly left in the mechanical parts of the aircraft.
“It’s sloppy, but frankly, 40 percent of this is significant. There’s metal shavings floating around electronics,” he said.
Former Boeing employees also said hundreds of defective parts went missing from a manufacturing plant in North Charleston one day and were later found to have been installed on aircraft against safety recommendations.
“I think it’s definitely possible that he was on the plane. One of the inspectors said, ‘This happened.’ We tried to say, ‘That can’t happen.’ ” Barnett recalled.
“Don’t worry,” the inspector said, Ms Barnett claimed.
Although he filed a complaint with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), he did not believe that Boeing was responsible.
When Kitroev asked Barnett if he was going to fly on a Boeing 787 Dreamliner, he replied: You couldn’t pay me. Hmm. ”
“Understand what you are getting into,” he told travelers. “I mean, just because it’s Boeing’s newest airplane, [sic] It means it was built right.”
In an interview with the BBC in late 2019, Barnett also addressed concerns about Boeing’s aircraft oxygen system, saying: Up to a quarter In an emergency, some of them may fail.
Shortly before Burnett died, Said TMZ The aerospace giant’s 737 Max 9 jet is big hole In January, an explosion occurred next to passengers on an Alaska Airlines flight, forcing the plane to make an emergency landing.
Boeing denied Barnett’s claims of safety risks, local NBC affiliate reported. report.
In a move that Fox News deemed “unrelated,” Boeing CEO Dave Calhoun announced he would resign by the end of 2024.
