The sudden death of former Boeing employee John Barnett has set off alarm bells with some online Monday.
Barnett, 62, retired from Boeing after working with the aircraft company for several decades. In 2019, he made allegations against the company after safety concerns he raised with managers about cutting corners and using sub-standard parts to build planes were allegedly ignored. Boeing has denied Barnett’s claims. Barnett claimed that employees at its South Carolina plant frequently fitted substandard parts on planes. He also reported faulty oxygen systems that could result in oxygen masks not working properly. Barnett said he knew of at least one case at the factory where workers used parts from scrap bins and fitted them into planes.
On March 9, Barnett was found dead from a “self-inflicted” gunshot wound, according to the Charleston County Coroner in South Carolina. At the time of his death, Barnett had been giving evidence in a long-running whistleblower legal case against Boeing. He had been in Charleston for legal interviews linked to the case and was expected to undergo further questioning on Saturday. When he did not appear, inquiries were made at his hotel, where he was found dead in his truck in the hotel car parking lot.
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In a statement following Barnett’s death, Boeing said, “We are saddened by Mr. Barnett’s passing, and our thoughts are with his family and friends.”
Newsweek has reached out to Boeing via email for comment.
However, since Barnett’s passing, some have taken to X, formerly Twitter, to raise questions over his sudden death.
X user Collin Rugg shared a video of Barnett speaking to TMZ about the claims he made against Boeing and wrote, “When he died, Barnett was in Charleston for interviews linked to a case against Boeing.He was supposed to come back for more questioning on Saturday but did not show up… Police are investigating Barnett’s death but say he died from a “self-inflicted” wound…Totally normal.”
Another X user Matt Wallace wrote, “RUMORS ARE CIRCULATION THE BOEING ‘SUICIDED’ WHISTLEBLOWER JOHN BARNETT (Found Dead in His Car) BECAUSE HE WAS ABOUT TO EXPOSE THEIR ENTIRE MONEY LAUNDERING OPERATION”.
Meanwhile, independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy noted Bartnett’s death, adding that he hopes there will be a “genuine investigation” into his death.
“John Barnett worked for Boeing for 32 years. The company worked to destroy his life after he exposed safety concerns. I’m proud that my sister Rory worked to tell his story in her award winning documentary Downfall: The Case Against Boeing. Boeing killed 346 people out of greed. Let’s hope there is a genuine investigation of John Barnett’s ‘suicide’,” Kennedy wrote on X.
The Charleston police department is still investigating the matter.
In addition, it is unclear at this time what will happen regarding the legal case Barnett brought against Boeing. He was expected to attend a court hearing relating to the case to provide testimony.
His death comes after Boeing has been under increased scrutiny following a series of safety issues on board its aircraft. Last week, a Boeing 777 jetliner flying to Japan was forced to make an emergency landing shortly after takeoff from San Francisco when a wheel fell off and dropped into an airport parking lot.
If you or someone you know is considering suicide, contact the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline by dialing 988, text “988” to the Crisis Text Line at 741741 or go to 988lifeline.org.
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.