Boeing whistleblower John Barnett’s suicide note has been released to the public for the first time, but social media users have discovered some major red flags.
Moments before taking his own life with a gunshot to the head, Barnett reportedly scribbled his final thoughts into a notebook.
🇺🇸 BOEING WHISTLEBLOWER'S SUICIDE NOTE: "I PRAY THEY PAY"
— Mario Nawfal (@MarioNawfal) May 18, 2024
John Barnett was found dead on March 9, just before his scheduled testimony against the aerospace giant.
Barnett's note:
"I pray Boeing pays…
Whistleblowing protection is f* up!
America, come together or die!
To… pic.twitter.com/XwzNwy8VN1
“I can’t do this any longer! Enough!” he declared. “F— Boeing.” “America.”
“Come together or die!! I pray the motherf—that destroyed my life pay!!! I pray Boeing pays!!!”
“Bury me face down so Boeing and their lying-ass leaders can kiss my a**,” he added, according to a suicide note obtained by the New York Post.
“To my family and friends, I found my purpose,” he continued. “I’m at peace. I love you more.”
Authorities confirmed that Barnett’s handwriting was in the notebook and that his fingerprints were the only ones found.
“I Call Bulls,” wrote one user, “Looks like a first grader wrote this s…”
Another replied, “worlds fakest suicide note.”
worlds fakest suicide note
— Mints (@sage_mints) May 18, 2024
The former quality control engineer raised numerous safety complaints to his supervisors throughout his career, most notably at the Charleston plant.
Barnett said his concerns were ignored, and he was ultimately sidelined to an administrative role.
Boeing whistleblower, John Barnett last interview before being SILENCED by Boeing forever. pic.twitter.com/rCnhD88oYt
— Epstein's Sheet. 🧻 (@meantweeting1) March 12, 2024
In 2019, he told BBC that Boeing had compromised safety by rushing to get its 787 Dreamliner jets off the production line and into service.
Over the past year, Boeing has faced increased scrutiny in the wake of its various issues with its planes and also over Barnett’s mysterious death.
Other former employees have also faced the same treatment for blowing the whistle.
Joshua Dean, a quality auditor at Spirit AeroSystems, claimed he was fired for challenging standards at the company’s manufacturing plant in Wichita, Kansas.
Spirit manufactured the door plug that blew out midair on an Alaska Airlines flight earlier this year.
“I think they were sending out a message to anybody else. If you are too loud, we will silence you,” Dean told NPR about his firing earlier this year.
Dean later became the second whistleblower to die under mysterious circumstances.
Boeing also faced criticism for concerning behaviors within the company that could be a reason for the uptick in recent safety issues.
According to the American Prospect, under former CEO Jim McNerney, Boeing was directed to adopt a new approach to “knowledge,” prioritizing intellectual property and trade secrets over the expertise.
The report also notes that McNerney outsourced a significant portion of the 787 Dreamliner’s development to suppliers lacking sufficient expertise.
The cost-cutting decision led to overruns and delays totaling billions of dollars.
The outsourcing also led to a supplier subcontracting part of the 787 fuselage design to an Israeli firm that “botched the job.”
