The Boeing whistleblower’s mother describes how he was “bullied” into suicide

The mother of the Boeing whistleblower who died by suicide has partly blamed the embattled company for his death.

John Barnett, 62, was found dead in his truck with a single gunshot to the head in a South Carolina hotel parking lot on March 9 — seven years after he retired from a 32-year career.

He was in town to attend meetings as part of his lawsuit against Boeing, in which he claims they retaliated against him for airing his concerns about the company’s quality control.

Barnett’s mother, Vicky Stokes, and brother Rodney Barnett spoke to CBS on Thursday and gave their side of the story, saying the stress of the match against Boeing was difficult for Barnett.

Asked if she blamed Boeing for Barnett’s death, she added: “If this hadn’t gone on for so long, I’d still have my son, my sons would still have their brother, and we wouldn’t be sitting here.”

The family said Barnett lived for his job for three decades, but became concerned after he was transferred to Boeing’s South Carolina factory in 2010 and noticed quality problems and procedures not being followed.

Stokes said Boeing retaliated after Barnett went public with his concerns, and that the whistleblower was then frequently humiliated at work meetings where he was “called out,” before he quit in 2017 due to job stress.

– It would wear on anyone after seven or eight years, said the mother.

When asked if they believe Barnett’s death was a suicide, the brother replied that the family is waiting for the investigation to conclude before making a verdict.

Barnett’s attorney, Brian Knowles, told CBS that “the retaliation he faced was something he was constantly exposed to.”

– He wasn’t trying to hurt Boeing, he was trying to save Boeing, added the family’s lawyer Robert Turkewitz.

Also read: Retired Boeing engineer found dead days after testifying against the company

The family added that they want Barnett’s legacy to be that Boeing addresses the safety issues he spoke about.

Barnett’s death occurred during a break in depositions in a whistleblower retaliation lawsuit, in which he alleged that under duress, workers were purposely installing low-quality parts on planes on the assembly line.

He said that in some cases, poor-quality parts were literally removed from scrap bins before being fitted to aircraft built to prevent delays. A 2017 review by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) supported some of his concerns, and required Boeing to act.

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Earlier this week, Boeing CEO Dave Calhoun announced he would step down at the end of the year in the wake of a security crisis at the company. Boeing has been hit by several problems, including a near-catastrophic incident on Jan. 5 when a door plug on a 737 MAX 9 Alaska Airlines jet tore off in mid-air. Since then, there have been questions surrounding the company following several other potentially dangerous incidents. Airlines and passengers have been frustrated by the lack of response from Calhoun, according to the Daily Mail.

According to the British tabloid newspaper, the head of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) last week criticized Boeing for focusing on “production” rather than “safety and quality”.

Administrator Michael Whitaker was unimpressed with the aerospace company after a visit to their facility.

– My impression was similar to the culture survey that was just carried out at Boeing and our audit, namely that there are problems related to the safety culture at Boeing, he said in an interview with NBC on Tuesday evening.