Family accuses Boeing over whistleblower’s death

John Barnett was giving evidence about safety problems at the aircraft company before he died by apparent suicide. His mother has accused it of ‘retaliating’
Andrea Blanco
, New York
The Times
John Barnett resigned from Boeing in 2017. His mother said he had been “called out” for airing quality shortcomings at its South Carolina plant
John Barnett resigned from Boeing in 2017. His mother said he had been “called out” for airing quality shortcomings at its South Carolina plant
Andrea Blanco
, New York
The Times

The mother of a Boeing whistleblower who died by apparent suicide this month has blamed the troubled company for his mental state in the weeks before his death.

John Barnett, a former quality manager at Boeing, was found dead in a lorry in a hotel car park in Charleston, South Carolina, on March 9.

Barnett, 62, who had left Boeing in 2017 after more than three decades, had been in a fit state to give evidence about alleged safety problems in a lawsuit against the aircraft manufacturer. He had given a deposition the week before his death, and was expected to return to court the day his body was discovered.

Speaking out for the first time since his death, Barnett’s mother, Vicky Stokes, told CBS