Second Boeing Whistleblower Dies Suddenly

A former quality auditor at Boeing supplier Spirit AeroSystems who turned whistleblower has died after a sudden illness, his family announced on Tuesday.

Joshua Dean had accused Spirit of ignoring defects in the production of the 737 MAX, a series whose reputation has been marred by a series of crashes and safety issues in recent years.

Dean is the second Boeing whistleblower to die suddenly, after John Barnett was found dead less than two months ago. According to South Carolina authorities, Barnett died of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound.

Dean's death is likely to again draw attention to Boeing, which has been under increased scrutiny from regulators and airlines since an emergency exit door blew off a Boeing 737 Max in midair in January after it took off from Portland International Airport.

Since then further negative headlines for Boeing linked to safety issues have harmed its reputation, to the point that a majority of Americans would pay more to avoid flying on its aircraft, according to a recent poll. Newsweek contacted Spirit and Boeing for comment by email early on Thursday.

Dean, then a quality auditor at Spirit, had flagged lax standards and the presence of an "excessive amount of defects" at a Boeing manufacturing plant in Wichita, Kansas, back in October 2022, according to a December 2023 lawsuit mentioned by NPR in January.

A mechanical engineer with years of experience, Dean had initially been employed by Spirit between March 2019 and May 2020, when he was among the many staffers being let go by the company during mass layoffs, according to the lawsuit. He returned to Spirit in late May 2021 as a product and process verification (PPV) core quality auditor. He later became a level 2 stress engineer, until his contract was terminated by the company in late April 2023.

In October 2022, he flagged what he said were serious manufacturing defects to management, but said that nothing was done. According to the lawsuit, Spirit "concealed" the issues flagged by Dean from investors until they were revealed by independent reporting in August 2023, 10 months later.

The whistleblower claimed that the company had fired him in retaliation for flagging the defects at the Wichita plant, using a "false justification" (the failure to spot a manufacturing flaw in the fittings that attach the vertical tail fin to the fuselage during an audit) as a pretext to "scapegoat and silence him," the lawsuit reads.

Dean had also filed a complaint against Spirit with the Federal Aviation Administration, accusing the company of "serious and gross misconduct by senior quality management of the 737 production line" at the manufacturer. The investigation concluded that Dean's allegations had substance, but did not provide further details.

Dean's sudden death at the age of 45 was announced by his aunt and sister on social media on Tuesday. His mother wrote on Facebook that he had contracted pneumonia in April and suffered a stroke following an MSRA infection.

The Seattle Times wrote that Dean "had been in good health and was noted for having a healthy lifestyle," but had died after contracting "a sudden, fast-spreading infection."

"Our thoughts and prayers are with Josh and his family," Dean's lawyer Brian Knowles told Newsweek in a joint-statement with his co-counsel, Rob Turkewitz.

"Josh's passing is a loss to the aviation community and the flying public. He possessed tremendous courage to stand up for what he felt was true and right and raised quality and safety issues," the statement reads. "Aviation companies should encourage and incentivize those that do raise these concerns. Otherwise, safety and quality are truly not these companies' top priorities."

"Our thoughts are with Josh Dean's family," a spokesperson for Spirit told Newsweek. "This sudden loss is stunning news here at Spirit and for his loved ones."

Barnett was found dead in an apparent suicide in March in the midst of giving depositions against Boeing, alleging that the company retaliated against him for exposing safety issues with the Boeing 787 Dreamliner. An investigation into his death is still ongoing.

If you or someone you know is considering suicide, please contact the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline by dialing 988, text "988" to the Crisis Text Line at 741741 or go to 988lifeline.org.

Update 5/2/24, 5:20 a.m. ET: This article has been updated to include more background information.

Update 5/2/24, 9:28 a.m. ET: This article has been updated with a comment from Spirit.

Correction 5/2/24, 11:20 a.m. ET: This article was updated with a correction to John Barnett's name.

Update 5/3/24, 4:15 a.m. ET: This article was updated with comment from Brian Knowles and Rob Turkewitz.