Another Boeing whistleblower dies mysteriously

Joshua Dean, a former quality auditor at the Boeing supplier, was one of the first whistleblowers to claim Spirit AeroSystems leadership had disregarded manufacturing flaws on the 737 MAX. He passed away on Tuesday morning following a battle with an unexpected, rapidly spreading infection. 

At 45, he was in good physical condition and was well-known for leading a healthy lifestyle, according to his relatives.

According to his relatives, he passed away after spending two weeks in a critical condition.

Dean provided a deposition in a legal case brought by Spirit shareholders and also complained to the Federal Aviation Administration, accusing senior quality management of the Spirit 737 production line of engaging in severe and flagrant misconduct.

Spirit fired Dean in April 2023, and he later filed a complaint with the Department of Labor, claiming that his dismissal was retaliatory because he had expressed concerns about aviation safety.

Parsons reported that respiratory distress led to Dean's illness and hospital admission slightly over two weeks ago. After undergoing intubation, the patient developed pneumonia and subsequently developed a severe bacterial infection due to MRSA.

His health declined rapidly, prompting his transfer via airlift from Wichita to a hospital in Oklahoma City. The hospital placed him on an extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) machine, which externally circulates and oxygenates the patient's blood, assuming the role of the heart and lungs when they are unable to function independently.

On Friday, Dean's mother shared a message on Facebook, providing all the relevant information and stating that Dean was in a critical condition.

On March 9, 62-year-old John Barnett, a former employee of the company, was shot in the head in the parking lot of the hotel where he was staying, the day he was supposed to testify in court for the lawsuit he filed against Boeing. In a statement regarding the incident, the police claimed that Barnett had committed suicide.

Source: Newsroom