Aviation giant Boeing is facing a growing number of brave whistleblowers who are coming forward after the deaths of two previous whistleblowers.
John Barnett, the first whistleblower, who was a former Boeing quality control manager, was found dead after committing “suicide” in March.
Before his death, Barnett took depositions, alleging Boeing retaliated against him for raising concerns about quality lapses.
Barnett was found in his truck with a “self-inflicted” gunshot wound to the head.
Despite a suicide note was reportedly found, Barnett’s lawyers are questioning whether he took his own life.
“John was in the midst of a deposition in his whistleblower case, which finally was nearing the end,” Barnett’s lawyers said.
“He was in very good spirits and really looking forward to putting this phase of his life behind him and moving on.”
We need more information about what happened to John,” attorneys Robert Turkewitz and Brian Knowles, who represent former Boeing manager John Barnett, said in a statement Tuesday.
“The Charleston police need to investigate this fully and accurately and tell the public.”
“We didn’t see any indication he would take his own life,” they added. “No one can believe it.”
Less than two months after Barnett’s death, a second Boeing-linked whistleblower, Joshua Dean, died at the age of 45 after a sudden and severe illness.
Dean was prominent in raising alarms over alleged safety issues within Boeing’s 737 MAX production line.
The Seattle Times reported that Dean succumbed to a fast-spreading infection that led to multiple complications.
Both their attorneys, Robert Turkewitz and Brian Knowles, are pushing for an investigation into their deaths.
“It’s an absolute tragedy when a whistleblower dies under suspicious circumstances,” Turkewitz stated.
Other Boeing whistleblowers are now coming forward, according to The Gateway Pundit:
Last month, Quality Engineer Sam Salehpour, Ed Pierson, Executive Director of The Foundation for Aviation Safety and former Boeing Engineer, Joe Jacobsen, Aerospace Engineer, Technical Advisor to the Foundation for Aviation Safety, and former FAA Engineer, along with Shawn Pruchnicki, Ph.D., Professional Practice Assistant Professor for Integrated Systems Engineering at Ohio State University, testified before the Senate.
One whistleblower, Boeing engineer Sam Salehpour, testified before Congress that he had faced “physical threats” from his boss after raising concerns about structural issues with the 787 Dreamliner. He claimed that debris was found in the unfilled gaps between aircraft parts “80% of the time.”
“I have analyzed Boeing’s own data to conclude that the company is taking manufacturing shortcuts on the 787 program that may significantly reduce the airplane safety and the life cycle,” said Salehpour during the hearing.
“Since 2013, there have been serious issues on the 787 program not properly closing thousands of gaps in its assembly of the fuselage on major joints.”
Another whistleblower, former Boeing engineer and senior manager Pierson, alleged a “criminal cover-up” at the company.
He claimed records related to a door blowout incident on a 737 Max plane existed, contrary to the aviation company’s claims.
“Records do in fact exist. I know this because I personally passed them to the FBI,” Pierson said during the hearing.
“For the last couple months, there’s been talk that there’s no records, and that’s obviously not the case. It has been available for months.”
At least ten more whistleblowers have identified safety concerns about Boeing’s aircraft.
The New York Post reported:
The attorneys for both men hope their deaths don’t scare away the at least ten other whistleblowers who want the company to clean up its act.
Brian Knowles, a Charleston, South Carolina, attorney who represented both Barnett and Dean hope their deaths were not in vain.
“These men were heroes. So are all the whistleblowers. They loved the company and wanted to help the company do better,” Knowles told The Post.
“They didn’t speak out to be aggravating or for fame. They’re raising concerns because people’s lives are at stake.”
Knowles and others inside the Boeing scandals are hesitant to speculate about conspiracy theories swirling around the two whistleblower deaths.
Knowles pointed out that the Charleston, SC police are still wrapping up their investigation of Barnett’s death — and that it may take some weeks for tests to reveal more about Dean’s passing.
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