What happened to Boeing whistleblower John Barnett? Netflix’s ‘Freefall’ opens with his final testimony
Netflix’s ‘Freefall: A Reckoning for Boeing’ revisits the aircraft manufacturer four years after Rory Kennedy examined the company in ‘Downfall: The Case Against Boeing.’ Arriving on Netflix on August 19, the documentary follows Kennedy and producing partner Mark Bailey as they speak with Boeing workers and families affected by aviation disasters. Netflix’s logline reads, “Alarming whistleblower testimony alleges that Boeing’s culture of cost-cutting and cover-ups led to fatal aviation safety failures.”
The person at the center of ‘Freefall’ is John Barnett, a former Boeing quality manager who became a whistleblower after raising concerns about practices he witnessed at the company. The documentary film opens with footage from Barnett’s deposition, recorded one day before he was found dead in his truck in March 2024. He was 62. PEOPLE reported that his cause of death was later determined to be su*c*de.
Barnett was involved in legal proceedings connected to a case against Boeing at the time. His lawyer, Brian Knowles, says in the documentary that the case “involved exposure to a hostile work environment, with allegations of retaliation by Boeing against him.” Recordings in the film capture Barnett saying he had “multiple managers berating me” after he reported concerns at the factory.
Barnett also claims his performance review was downgraded and his pay was docked after he put quality concerns in writing. “The stress and the humiliation and the hostility towards me, it just wore me down,” he says in the film. “After I left, I knew issues continued to exist. That weighs heavy on my heart.”
Kennedy met Barnett while making ‘Downfall,’ which examined two Boeing 737 MAX 8 crashes in 2018 and 2019 that killed 346 people. Kennedy also stated that it looked like Boeing had changed its practices after the crashes, but further incidents led her to question whether the company had returned to its previous practices.
She said Barnett’s death became the deciding factor. “That was really the thing that compelled me more than anything to make this film,” she told the outlet. She added, “I saw so many whistleblowers and others who had sacrificed so much, who really faced extreme retribution for their bravery and courage, and I felt very compelled to tell their stories.”
‘Freefall’ also includes accounts from other current and former Boeing employees, including Merle Meyers, Bill Seitz, Sam Mohawk, and Roy Irvin. Their testimony addresses manufacturing, workplace, and safety concerns involving aircraft such as the 787 Dreamliner.
A Boeing spokesperson told PEOPLE that some allegations in the film “remain unfounded claims to this day,” while other matters were addressed or continue to be improved under regulatory oversight. ‘Freefall: A Reckoning for Boeing’ premieres on Netflix on August 19.
