Boeing Whistleblower John Barnett Found Dead During Deposition, Ruled Suicide

John Barnett, a 32-year Boeing quality control manager and prominent whistleblower who had raised numerous safety concerns about the 787 Dreamliner, was found dead from a gunshot wound to the head in his truck in a hotel parking lot in Charleston, South Carolina. He was in Charleston for deposition in his ongoing whistleblower retaliation lawsuit against Boeing. His death occurred on March 9, 2024, during a break in the deposition proceedings, and was ruled a suicide by the Charleston County Coroner.

Barnett had worked in quality control at Boeing for 32 years, spending his final seven years as a manager at Boeing South Carolina. He became a prominent whistleblower after reporting systematic quality control failures in 787 Dreamliner production, including metal shavings left near flight control wiring, defective oxygen systems, and compromised emergency equipment. He filed substantiated safety reports with the FAA and was featured in the 2022 Netflix documentary “Downfall: The Case Against Boeing.”

Police found Barnett with his legally owned pistol in his hand, finger still on the trigger, and a suicide note in the passenger seat reading “I can’t do this any longer” and “I pray Boeing pays.” Fingerprint analysis found only Barnett’s prints, and ballistics confirmed the bullet trajectory was consistent with a self-inflicted wound. Police concluded Barnett was experiencing “a period of serious personal distress” and that his death was suicide related to chronic stress, anxiety, and PTSD from the whistleblower case.

The timing of Barnett’s death during active litigation against Boeing raised immediate suspicions among his family, attorneys, and safety advocates. His attorneys released a statement calling him “a brave, honest man” who had suffered retaliation for speaking truth about safety failures. The circumstances bore resemblance to other suspicious deaths of corporate whistleblowers who posed significant legal and reputational threats to powerful companies.

Whether suicide or something more sinister, Barnett’s death resulted directly from Boeing’s documented pattern of whistleblower retaliation and the years-long legal battle that followed his good-faith safety reports. His death sent a chilling message to other potential Boeing whistleblowers: speaking up about safety problems can destroy your life, even if you survive long enough to testify.