The Life and Death of a Boeing Whistleblower

波音举报者的生死沉浮

The Journal.

新闻

2025-02-19

44 分钟
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John Barnett worked at Boeing for nearly 30 years. Before he left the company, he filed a whistleblower complaint, alleging he was retaliated against for raising safety concerns. Last March, after two days of testimony, he was found dead in his truck. Police ruled his death a suicide. We tell the story of Barnett’s life, and death, as a Boeing whistleblower.  Further Reading: - Boeing CEO Apologizes to MAX Crash Families, Calls Culture ‘Far From Perfect’ - The Disarray Inside Boeing’s 737 Factory Before the Door Plug Blowout  - Can Boeing Be Fixed? Aerospace Leaders Offer a Repair Manual  Further Listening: - The Failures Inside Boeing's 737 Factory  - A Hole in a Plane and a Headache for Boeing  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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  • A quick heads up before we get started.

  • This episode discusses suicide.

  • Please listen with care.

  • About a year ago, a man named John Barnett got into his orange Dodge Ram to take a road trip.

  • He was driving from his home in Louisiana to Charleston, South Carolina.

  • He was going there to give a deposition

  • in a long standing legal case he had against his former employ.

  • Before Barnett hit the road, he told his mother,

  • Vicki Stokes, that he had a bad feeling about the trip.

  • You know, I asked him, I said, what do you mean?

  • He said, well, I just don't have a good feeling.

  • I'll just be glad to get this trip over with.

  • He says, I'm not scared.

  • He said, I just don't have a good feeling about this trip.

  • After two grueling days of depositions and before he finished his testimony,

  • Barnett was found dead in his in the parking lot of a Holiday Inn.

  • Police ruled his death a suicide.

  • In his truck, on the seat beside him, there was a note.

  • It was in Barnett's handwriting.

  • It said that he was at peace and that he loved his family.