Joshua Dean Boeing whistleblower, was declared dead on Tuesday, May 30, nearly two months after the shocking death of Boeing whistleblower John Barnett.
Joshua Dean, a Boeing whistleblower who accused the world’s largest aerospace company’s supplier of ignoring defects in the manufacturing of the 737 MAX, died due to a sudden illness, according to his family members.
He was declared dead on Tuesday, May 30, nearly two months after the shocking death of Boeing whistleblower John Barnett. The 62-year-old Barnett was found dead due to a self-inflicted gunshot wound, as per South Carolina authorities.
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Who was Joshua Dean?
Joshua Dean was an ex-employee of Spirit AeroSystems, an aircraft manufacturer that produces crucial components, such as the fuselage for Boeing. According to him, he was fired in retaliation for pointing out the company’s inadequate standards at its manufacturing facility in Wichita, Kansas.
He started working at Spirit in 2019 after completing his graduation in mechanical engineering. However, he lost his job in 2020 due to COVID-related layoffs. Luckily, he got back his job the following year as Spirit hired him as a quality auditor.
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The 45-year-old was a resident of Wichita, Kansas, where Spirit is located.
Dean’s aunt Carol Parsol said that he unexpectedly got unwell and was taken to a hospital after experiencing respiratory difficulties two weeks ago.
He contracted MRSA, a serious bacterial infection, and pneumonia. He required continuous intubation during his hospital stay in Oklahoma City.
According to reports, his health declined rapidly and he was placed on extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) machine, a kind of life support. He was also on dialysis and given a lot of medication.
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Dean’s mother posted on social media that a CT scan revealed he may have had a stroke while he was “fighting for his life” in the hospital.
Calling his death “heartbreaking”, Dean’s aunt said: “It was brutal what he went through”.
Meanwhile, his attorney Brian Knowles termed his demise as a “loss to the aviation community and the flying public,” adding that he always stood up for what he felt was right and voiced concerns over safety and quality issues.
“Aviation companies should encourage and incentivise those that do raise these concerns. Otherwise, safety and quality are truly not these companies’ top priorities,” Knowles told Al Jazeera.
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What did he accuse Boeing of?
Dean claimed to have discovered a significant production flaw in Spirit-built 737 MAX parts during an examination in 2022. He even brought up the issue with the highest levels of management, but alleged that nobody paid attention to the problem.
He was fired in April 2023 on the accusation of failing to identify another issue that resulted in a delivery halt for the company.
A few months after his departure, Spirit discovered a significant problem with the way 737 MAXs were manufactured. This was the same issue that Dean had originally brought to the firm’s attention before his dismissal.
Dean then launched a safety complaint with the Federal Aviation Administration, alleging a manufacturing fault that Spirit had initially concealed from the FAA.
“After I was fired, Spirit AeroSystems [initially] did nothing to inform the FAA, and the public, about their knowledge of the aft pressure bulkhead defects”, he wrote in his complaint.
In response to a lawsuit filed by Spirit stockholders, Dean claimed that the Kansas plant had “excessive” flaws.
He also lodged an aviation whistleblower case with the Department of Labor, claiming wrongful firing and “gross misconduct of senior level Spirit AeroSystems Quality Managers”, reported The Seattle Times.
Speaking to NPR in January, he said: “I think they were sending out a message to anybody else. If you are too loud, we will silence you.”
A Spirit representative told NPR that the accusations leveled against the company are being contested in court and that they vehemently dismiss these allegations.
On learning about Dean’s death, Spirit spokesperson Joe Buccino in a condolence message said: “Our thoughts are with Josh Dean’s family. This sudden loss is stunning news here and for his loved ones.”
Spirit AeroSystems came under fire since it emerged that the company manufactured the door panel that burst off a 737 MAX 9 in midair in January.
Concerns over safety standards at Boeing have been raised in the wake of several tragedies, including the near-disaster involving Alaska Airlines Flight 1282, which is currently the focus of many investigations.
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