The whistleblower who accused a Boeing supplier of ignoring defects has died. It’s the second in two months

According to the Seattle Times, Joshua Dean, 45, who is known for his healthy lifestyle, was infected with bacteria that is highly resistant to antibiotics, developed pneumonia, and suffered a stroke. He died on Tuesday after two weeks in hospital.

Dean, a mechanical engineer, started working at Spirit in 2019. He was laid off the following year after pandemic-related cutbacks and returned to Spirit in May 2021 as a quality auditor. In October the following year, Dean raised concerns about improperly drilled holes in parts of the Boeing 373 MAX, but claimed that reporting the issue had no effect. Focusing on these defects, no other manufacturing defect was observed in the attachments that connect the vertical tail to the fuselage. When this was discovered in April 2023, he was fired.

The engineer claimed the company fired him over apparent defects in improperly drilled holes, using a “false justification” as an excuse to “silence him,” according to a December 2023 lawsuit reported by NPR in January.

Joshua Dean also filed a complaint against Spirit with the FAA, accusing the company of “serious and gross misconduct by senior quality management of the 737 production line.”

This is the second Boeing whistleblower to die suddenly, after John Barnett was found dead in his truck in a hotel parking lot last March, less than two months ago. According to South Carolina authorities, 62-year-old Barnett died from apparent “self-inflicted” gunshot wounds. Known for raising concerns about Boeing’s production standards, Barnett worked for the company for 32 years and retired in 2017 for health reasons. In 2019, a whistleblower reported that company employees were pressured to install lower-quality parts during production and claimed to have discovered “serious” problems with oxygen systems.

Boeing has been under criticism since the 737 Max lost its emergency exit door shortly after takeoff from Portland on January 5, while flying with 117 people on board at an altitude of about 4,876 metres. According to the preliminary report issued by the US agency responsible for transportation safety (NTSB), the plane lost four screws.