The Life and Death of a Boeing Whistleblower

The Journal.

The Wall Street Journal

Daily News, Business News, News

4.2 • 5.3K Ratings

🗓️ 18 February 2025

⏱️ 43 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

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

Transcript

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0:00.0	A quick heads up before we get started, this episode discusses suicide. Please listen with care.
0:10.7	About a year ago, a man named John Barnett got into his orange Dodge Ram to take a road trip.
0:20.0	He was driving from his home in Louisiana to Charleston, South Carolina.
0:24.8	He was going there to give a deposition and a longstanding legal case he had against his
0:28.6	former employer.
0:31.9	Before Barnett hit the road, he told his mother, Vicki Stokes, that he had a bad feeling
0:36.8	about the trip.
0:38.9	You know, I asked him, I said, what do you mean?
0:41.5	He said, well, I just don't have a good feeling.
0:44.0	I'll just be glad to get this trip over with.
0:48.2	He says, I'm not scared.
0:51.0	He said, I just don't have a good feeling about this trip.
0:56.0	After two grueling days of depositions, and before he finished his testimony,
1:01.7	Barnett was found dead in his truck in the parking lot of a holiday inn.
1:06.4	Police ruled his death as suicide.
1:11.4	In his truck, on the seat beside him,
1:14.4	there was a note.
1:15.6	It was in Barnett's handwriting.
1:18.2	It said that he was at peace,
1:20.3	and that he loved his family.
1:22.2	And in large letters,
1:23.7	followed by three exclamation points,
	...

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