Boeing whistleblower John Barnett was found dead with a gun in his hand and left note on the passenger seat of his truck outside a South Carolina hotel, police report reveals

A Boeing whistleblower who had testified against the company days before his death shot himself with a handgun and left a suicide note in his vehicle, DailyMail.com can reveal.

John Barnett, 62, was found dead in his truck in a hotel parking lot in Charleston, South Carolina, on Saturday - seven years after he retired following a 32-year career.

The ex-quality manager at Boeing's North Charleston plant died from a 'self-inflicted' wound, with Charleston Police Department probing his death.

A police report obtained by DailyMail.com reveals that Barnett extended his stay at the Holiday Inn two days prior to his suspected suicide and had been set to check out the day before the alarm was raised.

The report details that a friend of Barnett's contacted the hotel asking for a welfare check at 10am on March 9, with employees knocking on his hotel room door with no response.

A member of staff then searched for his orange Dodge Ram in the parking lot of the hotel, and discovered Barnett deceased in the driver's seat with a 'silver handgun' in his right hand.

Former Boeing quality manager John Barnett (pictured) was found dead in South Carolina on Saturday with what appeared to be a self-inflicted gunshot wound to his head, police said 

Barnett was found dead inside his pickup truck on Saturday in the parking lot of a Holiday Inn in Charleston, pictured above

According to an incident report, police arrived to the scene to find an orange Dodge Ram (stock photo) in the parking lot of the hotel, and discovered Barnett deceased in the driver's seat with a 'silver handgun' in his right hand 

Barnett had his 'right pointer finger remaining on the trigger', and suffered a 'gunshot wound near his right temple, according to the report.

It added that there was a 'white piece of paper that closely resembled a note', lying in plain view on the passenger seat. 

The contents of the note have not yet been revealed.

A member of staff at the hotel told investigators that he heard a 'pop' at around 9.30am when he was working on the exterior of the hotel, with Barnett's truck discovered at the rear of the property.

Surveillance footage also shows Barnett exiting the hotel on the morning of March 8, though the alarm was not raised until 24 hours later.

Sgt Anthony Gibson of Charleston PD said in a statement: 'Detectives are actively investigating this case and are awaiting the formal cause of death, along with any additional findings that might shed further light on the circumstances surrounding the death of Mr. Barnett.

'We understand the global attention this case has garnered, and it is our priority to ensure that the investigation is not influenced by speculation but is led by facts and evidence.

'Given the sensitive nature of the investigation, we are unable to participate in media interviews at this time. This stance is not unique to this case but is a standard procedure we adhere to in order to preserve the integrity of active investigations. Public disclosure will follow the investigation's conclusion.'  

In a statement issued after DailyMail.com published the contents of the incident report on Tuesday, Barnett's lawyers, Robert Turkewitz and Brian Knowles, claimed there had been 'no indication' the former Boeing employee would take his own life. 

The statement read in part: 'John was in the midst of a deposition in his whistleblower retaliation case, which finally was nearing the end. He was in very good spirits and really looking forward to putting this phase of his life behind him and moving on. We didn't see any indication he would take his own life. No one can believe it.

'We are all devastated. We need more information about what happened to John. The Charleston police need to investigate this fully and accurately and tell the public what they find out. No detail can be left unturned.'

A police report obtained by DailyMail.com reveals that Barnett was found with a 'silver handgun in his right hand, resting on his lap and his right pointer finger still remaining on the trigger' 

The Charleston Police Department said the coroner's report found Barnett's death appears to result from a self-inflicted gunshot wound but detectives are still investigative the formal cause of death

Earlier on Tuesday police announced they have launched an investigation into  Barnett's death after a coroner ruled he died from a 'self-inflicted' gunshot wound. 

Barnett was found dead in South Carolina on Saturday morning, less than three months after he warned about the production processes of both the 737 and 787-Dreamliner.

Charleston Police Department have confirmed that it is investigating the death of Barnett as it emerged he was in Charleston for legal interviews linked to claims that Boeing has hampered his career and tarnished his reputation for speaking out about production issues on several plane models. 

On the third day of his deposition, he was due to be cross examined by his own lawyers, but failed to show up. 

After enquiries were made, he was found dead in his truck in his hotel's parking lot. 

Barnett's attorney, Brian Knowles, told the BBC that Barnett had been in the middle of a deposition in a whistleblower lawsuit in Charleston related to production of the 787 Dreamliner plane.

The suit alleged under-pressure workers were deliberately fitting 'sub-standard' parts to Boeing 787s, and that brass were sweeping defects under the rug to save money.

The FAA has since revealed the firm failed a whopping 33 of 89 audits during an exam of its 737 Max production. 

In January, Barnett appeared on TMZ to provide his take on a technical failure that saw a door fly off its hinges of a 737 - a model he said was being victimized by recent shifts in strategy along with the 787.

His warning would prove prophetic, as a 787 experienced a midair 'technical event', injuring 50 passengers. 

In January, Barnett explained why he believed both models were ticking time bombs, as both incidents remain under investigation.

'This is not a 737 problem - this is a Boeing problem,' he said after being asked if he believed the 737 was safe to fly following the door incident and a subsequent FAA inspection.

'I know the FAA is going in and done due diligence and inspections to ensure the door close on the 737 is installed properly and the fasteners are stored properly,' he said, citing the parts that likely played a part in the incident. 

'But, my concern is, 'What's the rest of the airplane? What's the condition of the rest of the airplane?''

He went on to provide a reason for that concern - one that he said led him to file the lawsuit against the aviation firm

'Back in 2012, Boeing started removing inspection operations off their jobs,' he told TMZ's Charles Latibeaudiere and Harvey Levin, recalling his time as a quality overseer at Boeing's plant in South Carolina, which manufactured mostly 787s.

In January, Barnett explained why he believed both models were ticking time bombs, as both incidents remain under investigation

The whistleblower died less than three months after he warned about the production processes of both the 737 and 787-Dreamliner

Boeing's assembly plant in North Charleston - where the deceased worked for decades - is seen here

'So, it left the mechanics to buy off their own work,' he explained.

Barnett went on to charge that the incident involving the door was indicative of something greater - and something alleged in his lawsuit: Boeing turning a blind eye to safety concerns in order to raise their bottom line.

'What we're seeing with the door plug blowout is what I've seen with the rest of the airplane, as far as jobs not being completed properly, inspection steps being removed, issues being ignored,' he charged, months before his sudden death.

'My concerns are with the 737 and 787, because those programs have really embraced the theory that quality is overhead and non value added.

'Those two programs have really put a strong effort into removing quality from the process.'

The FAA appears to have stood up some of the expert's assertions after revealing how a six-week audit found 'multiple instances where [Boeing] allegedly failed to comply with manufacturing quality control requirements' of its 737s. 

At one point during the exam, feds found that mechanics at Spirit AeroSystems - one of Boeing's main suppliers - used a hotel key card to check a door seal, and a liquid Dawn soap to a door seal 'as lubricant in the fit-up process.' 

That action was 'not identified/documented/called-out in the production order,' a document outlining the probe said - spurring  FAA Administrator Mike Whitaker to decree Boeing must develop a comprehensive plan to address such 'systemic quality-control issues' within 90 days 

He sent summary of its findings to the companies in its completed audit, after an all-day February 27 meeting with CEO Dave Calhoun. He did not state the specific corrective actions Boeing and Spirit must take.

'Boeing must commit to real and profound improvements,' Whitaker explained at the time last week. 'We are going to hold them accountable every step of the way, with mutually understood milestones and expectations.'

Calhoun responded in his own statement, saying that Boeing's leadership team was 'totally committed' to addressing FAA concerns and developing the plan.

Meanwhile, Spirit, which makes the fuselage for the now scrutinized MAX, issued a statement saying it was 'in communication with Boeing and the FAA on appropriate corrective actions.'

In response, Boeing brass claimed that after the 'quality stand-downs, the FAA audit findings, and the recent expert review panel report, [the firm has] a clear picture of what needs to be done.'

The Charleston County coroner confirmed to the BBC on Monday that he had died from a 'self-inflicted' wound on Friday March 8. 

Sgt. Anthony Gibson of The Charleston Police Department told local media: 'Detectives are actively investigating this case and are awaiting the formal cause of death, along with any additional findings that might shed further light on the circumstances surrounding the death of Mr. Barnett.

'We understand the global attention this case has garnered, and it is our priority to ensure that the investigation is not influenced by speculation but is led by facts and evidence. 

'Given the sensitive nature of the investigation, we are unable to participate in media interviews at this time. 

'This stance is not unique to this case but is a standard procedure we adhere to in order to preserve the integrity of active investigations.'

John's lawyer during the deposition, Brian Knowles, said in a statement issued on Monday: 'John had been back and forth for quite some time getting prepared. 

'The defense examined him for their allowed seven hours under the rules on Thursday.

'I cross examined him all day yesterday [Friday] and did not finish. We agreed to continue this morning at 10 am [co-counsel] Rob [Turkewitz] kept calling this morning and his phone would go to voicemail.