Another whistleblower who raised safety concerns about manufacturing practices involving Boeing has died. Joshua Dean, who previously worked as a quality inspector at the plane maker’s supplier, Spirit AeroSystems, died Tuesday from complications of a “sudden, rapidly spreading infection,” according to the Seattle Times Reports.
Dean, described as a “healthy” 45-year-old who was known for his “healthy lifestyle”, succumbed to the sudden outbreak of a bacterial infection known as methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus Aureus MRSA. He died after two weeks in critical condition, the newspaper reports, citing Dean’s aunt.
Boeing previously owned Spirit but spun off the company in 2005, the Associated Press previously reported reported. This year, Boeing announced it was in talks to buy Spirit. A company spokesperson stated that “reintegrating Boeing and Spirit AeroSystems’ manufacturing operations would further strengthen aviation safety, improve quality and serve the interests of our customers, employees, customers and shareholders.”
Before his death, Dean was involved in several legal conflicts with Spirit. Dean was fired from the company in April 2023 and subsequently filed a complaint with the Labor Department, claiming his firing was retaliatory to him and raised safety concerns, the Times reports. Spirit in particular builds important parts of numerous Boeing aircraft, including the fuselages of large passenger aircraft like the 737 Max. Dean had also filed a complaint with the Federal Aviation Administration accusing Spirit of “serious and gross misconduct by senior quality management on the 737 production line.” Dean also previously gave a deposition for a Spirit shareholder lawsuit, the Times writes.
The Times describes Dean’s sudden illness and hospitalization:
Pastor [Dean’s aunt] said Dean became ill and went to the hospital because he was having trouble breathing just over two weeks ago. He was intubated and developed pneumonia and then a severe bacterial infection… His condition rapidly deteriorated and he was flown from Wichita to a hospital in Oklahoma City, where he was placed on an ECMO machine that drains the blood of a patient outside The hospital’s system circulates and oxygenates the body, taking over heart and lung function when a patient’s organs cannot function on their own, Parsons said.
Gizmodo contacted Spirit and Boeing for comment but did not receive an immediate response.
Dean is the second Boeing whistleblower to die this year. In March, John Barnett, a former quality control engineer at Boeing, said was found dead in a motel parking lot. Officials said Barnett likely died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Barnett’s death particularly sparked online conspiracy theories because at the time of his death he was involved in a lawsuit against Boeing and had accused the company of retaliating against him.
Boeing has been under intense scrutiny from the media and the federal government since a flight with Alaska Airlines lost part of his torso in January. Regulators and the general public have raised questions about Boeing’s safety practices, and the company has become the focus of numerous critics Federal investigationas well as Control by Congress. Last month, several more whistleblowers testified before Congress about what they said was a disregard for safety by the company. A whistleblower blamed the company implicated in a “criminal cover-up.” while another said he was threatened by his boss for raising safety concerns. All speakers claimed that Boeing’s practices put aircraft and their passengers at risk.