Boeing, death of a whistleblower: second suspicious case in two months

Second suspicious death in a few months among the whistleblowers linked to the aircraft malfunction scandal Boeing . Mechanical engineer Josh Dean, a former quality control officer at Spirit AeroSystem, Boeing's supplier of some 737 Max components, died last Tuesday, 30 April, after struggling for a fortnight with a strange and sudden infection. The news was released a few hours ago. Dean, from Wichita, Kansas, where the Spirit company is based, was one of the first whistleblowers to claim that his company's management had turned a blind eye to manufacturing defects in the Boeing 737 Max . Spirit's 'mole' engineer was 45 years old, in good health and known for having a healthy lifestyle, The Seattle Times reports.

Spirit spokesman Joe Buccino expressed the company's condolences in a note: "Our thoughts are with Josh Dean's family. This sudden loss is incredible news for us and for his loved ones." Dean had testified in court proceedings against Spirit shareholders and had also filed a complaint with the Federal Aviation Administration alleging 'serious conduct by quality managers involved in the 737 production line' of his company Spirit.

Spirit after the lawsuit and appeals to the FAA had fired Dean in April 2023. He in response had filed a complaint with the Department of Labour claiming that the dismissal was retaliation by his company for raising the case with the federal agency that oversees aviation safety. Carol Parsons, Dean's aunt, said the man had gone to the hospital a fortnight ago because he was having trouble breathing just over a fortnight ago. He was immediately intubated and developed pneumonia and then a severe bacterial infection, His condition deteriorated rapidly and he was flown from Wichita to a hospital in Oklahoma City. There, gravely ill, he was placed in the machine that circulates and oxygenates patients' blood out of the body, taking control of heart and lung function when the organs no longer function on their own, sedated and put on dialysis. His mother posted a message on Facebook recounting all the details and saying that Dean was 'fighting for his life'. A CT scan had revealed that he had also suffered a stroke. In the final hours before his death, doctors had gone so far as to consider amputating both hands and both feet in an attempt to save his life. "What he went through was brutal. Heartbreaking," relatives recounted.

Josh Dean in the lawsuit against Boeing and Spirit was assisted by a South Carolina law firm that had also followed Boeing's other whistleblower, John 'Mitch' Barnett, who also died in suspicious conditions: Barnett was found dead in March from an apparent suicide. The episode occurred in the days when he was giving depositions against Boeing for the ostracism the company had unleashed against him following his reports highlighting quality defects found in the Boeing 787 production lines at the plant in Charleston, South Carolina. City where the man lived and where he was found dead from a gunshot wound. The Charleston County Coroner's Office reported that Barnett's death appeared to be due to 'a self-inflicted gunshot wound'. However, nearly two months later, the police investigation into his death is still ongoing.

Brian Knowles, one of Dean's lawyers, said he did not want to speculate on the timing and close circumstances of the two deaths. "Whistleblowers are valuable because they bring to light malfeasance and corruption in corporations. It takes a lot of courage to stand up against these giants," Knowles said. "Our thoughts now are with John's family and Josh's family."