Boeing whistleblower's family blame 'hostile work environment' for death

13 March 2024 , 17:21

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John Barnett's family have hit out at Boeing over his alleged suicide

The family of a Boeing whistleblower found dead, seemingly having committed suicide, on the day he was scheduled to testify against the jet plane manufacturer, has blamed the company’s “hostile work environment” for his death.

“He was suffering from PTSD and anxiety attacks as a result of being subjected to the hostile work environment at Boeing which we believe led to his death,” relatives of John Barnett said in their first statement since his death. Mr Barnett worked for the jetliner giant for more than thirty years as a quality inspector and manager before retiring in 2017.

He was found dead from what the Charleston County coroner ruled a “self-inflicted” gunshot wound in his truck in the parking lot of his South Carolina hotel on Saturday. The engineer was set to appear in court to provide further testimony in his whistleblower lawsuit against the company but never showed up, leading to a request for a welfare check.

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His family blame the aerospace giant

His body was discovered in his orange pickup with a silver handgun still in his hand. Mr Barnett, 62, had apparently enjoyed working for Boeing until 2010 when he was transferred to Boeing’s 787 plant in Charleston, according to his family.

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“Things greatly changed for him when he learned that upper management was pressuring the quality inspectors and managers to cut corners and to not follow processes and procedures which they were required by law to follow,” the family said. They claim that Boeing pressured workers to look past defects to avoid slowing down the assembly line and those who refused “were labelled as trouble makers, retaliated against, and subjected to a hostile work environment.”

“He was deeply concerned about the safety of the aircraft and flying public, and had identified some serious defects that he felt were not adequately addressed,” his relatives revealed. Adding: “He said that Boeing had a culture of concealment and was putting profits over safety."

He had spoken out about his plight (ABC News)

The job he had once loved reportedly became so stressful that even his doctor grew concerned for his health. The family statement explained: “It caused him so much stress that his doctor told him that if he stayed, he would have a heart attack.”

Mr Barnett filed this serious complaint against his employer in 2017 and “was looking forward to his day in court," but that day never came. Charleston police are investigating the worrying circumstances of Mr Barnett’s death as his lawyers have raised questions about it.

“We are saddened by Mr. Barnett’s passing, and our thoughts are with his family and friends,” Boeing said in a statement. It did not comment directly on the contents of his family’s statement, however.

Boeing has been under increasing pressure as the safety of its jets has come under fire. The mid-air blowout of a door plug on an Alaska Airlines flight in January left many reluctant to fly and a Federal Aviation Administration audit found dozens of problems throughout Boeing’s 737 MAX jet manufacturing process, including “unacceptable” quality control issues.

Imy Brighty-Potts