According to the Seattle Times, Joshua Dean, a former quality auditor at Spirit AeroSystems, a Boeing supplier, passed away on Tuesday. Dean, who was one of the initial whistleblowers to raise concerns about manufacturing defects on the 737 MAX, succumbed to a rapidly spreading infection. Despite being in good health prior to his hospitalization, the 45-year-old fought for his life for two weeks before his untimely demise.
The Times reports:
“Dean had given a deposition in a Spirit shareholder lawsuit and also filed a complaint with the Federal Aviation Administration alleging “serious and gross misconduct by senior quality management of the 737 production line” at Spirit. Spirit fired Dean in April 2023, and he had filed a complaint with the Department of Labor alleging his termination was in retaliation for raising concerns related to aviation safety.”
In February, Dean conveyed to NPR, a U.S. media organization, his belief that his termination was intended as a warning to discourage others from voicing their opinions. “If you are too loud, we will silence you,” he was quoted as saying.
The Times report details that Dean, who was 62 years old, was represented by a law firm in South Carolina that also represented Boeing whistleblower John “Mitch” Barnett. Tragically, he was discovered deceased in an apparent suicide in March.
While he was in the process of providing testimonies accusing Boeing of retaliating against him for reporting quality issues, he was discovered deceased in Charleston, S.C., with a gunshot wound. Charleston is the location of Boeing’s 787 manufacturing facility.
Barnett had decided to retire from the company in 2017 due to health concerns, having dedicated 32 years of his life to working with Boeing. Following his departure, he initiated a prolonged legal battle against the company, which persisted until his unfortunate demise.
