Boeing Supplier Whistleblower Joshua Dean Dead At 45

boeing supplier whistleblower joshua dean dead at 45

Former quality auditor and whistleblower, Joshua Dean, died at 45 on Wednesday. Dean was a quality auditor at Boeing supplier Spirit AeroSystems. His death occurred two months after the death of another Boeing whistleblower, John Barnett, who reportedly died by suicide amidst ongoing depositions against Boeing.

He was one of the first whistleblowers to allege that Spirit leadership had ignored manufacturing defects on the 737 MAX. He died on Tuesday morning due to a sudden infection, a report said.

Dean lived in Wichita, Kansas. He was 45 when he died from the sudden infection, despite being very healthy, the report said. According to his aunt, Carol Parsons, he died two weeks in critical condition.

Dead had been fired from Spirit in April 2023, and had filed a complaint with the Department of Labor alleging his termination was in retaliation to him raising concerns over aviation safety.

“Our thoughts are with Josh Dean’s family. This sudden loss is stunning news here and for his loved ones,” Spirit spokesperson Joe Buccino said.

In a complaint filed with the Federal Aviation Administration, Dean alleged “serious and gross misconduct by senior quality management of the 737 production line” at Spirit. He had also reportedly given a deposition in a Spirit shareholder lawsuit.

According to his aunt, Dean faced trouble breathing and went to the hospital. He was intubated and developed Pneumonia and then a serious bacterial infection, MRSA.

In response to his deteriorating condition, he was airlifted from Wichita to a hospital in Oklahoma city, where he was put on an ECMO machine. He was put on dialysis and a CT scan showed that he had suffered a stroke, according to his mother’s social media post.

Talking about his suffering before his death, Parsons said, “It was brutal what he went through.”

In October 2022, Dean said that he had found mechanics improperly drilling holes in the aft pressure bulkhead of the MAX, a serious manufacturing defect. He complained that nothing was done when he had flagged the issue.

Dean added that another manufacturing flaw, in the fittings that attach the vertical tail fin to the fuselage, was missed by him in the same audit. Upon discovery, it caused a delivery pause at Boeing and, subsequently, Dean was fired.

Upon the discovery of the first flaw, Dean filed a complaint with the FAA, alleging that Spirit had used him as a scapegoat and lied about the aft pressure bulkhead defects.

“After I was fired, Spirit AeroSystems [initially] did nothing to inform the FAA, and the public” about their knowledge of the defects, his complaint said.

the FAA wrote in response to his complaint and said, “The investigation determined that your allegations were appropriately addressed under an FAA-approved safety program.”

“However, due to the privacy provisions of those programs, specific details cannot be released,” it added.

Dean filed a complaint with the Department of Labor that same month alleging wrongful termination and “gross misconduct”, according to the report. In the shareholder lawsuit, Dean provided details of his allegations in a deposition.

A former colleague of Dean confirmed some of his allegations after a panel blew off a Boeing 737 MAX plane in January.

“Whistleblowers are needed. They bring to light wrongdoing and corruption in the interests of society. It takes a lot of courage to stand up,” Brian Knowles, Dean’s lawyer said. “It’s a difficult set of circumstances. Our thoughts now are with John’s family and Josh’s family.”