New Boeing insider dies after raising worry on 737

Asecond Boeing whistleblower has died after a sudden illness. Joshua Dean, a former quality auditor at Spirit AeroSystems, went public with claims that the company’s leadership ignored manufacturing defects in Boeing’s 737 MAX. Spirit AeroSystems is a Boeing supplier.

Dean (45) had an active lifestyle and was believed to be in good health prior to his “sudden” death on Tuesday, following the onset of a fast-moving infection. He was stricken with MRSA, and developed pneumonia.

He spent two weeks in critical condition before he died in Oklahoma, according to The Seattle Times.

Dean, from Wichita, is the second whistleblower to die this year after coming forward about safety issues. Boeing whistleblower John Barnett (62), was found dead in his truck in a car park in South Carolina in March.

Dean’s death is the latest in a string of incidents related to embattled Boeing over the past year. In January, an Alaska Airlines Boeing 737 MAX 9’s door plug blew off in mid-air, leading to the grounding of all 171 MAX 9 jets, instigating an investigation.

Soon afterwards, at least four people came forward — including both of the now-dead whistleblowers — to allege corner-cutting in the jets’ manufacturing process caused safety risks. Boeing CEO Dave Calhoun announced in March that he would step down at the end of the year. Boeing reported a $355m (€329.7m) net loss for the first quarter of 2024.

In his complaint to the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), Dean had said “serious and gross misconduct by senior quality management of the 737 production line” had taken place at Spirit. He also testified in a shareholder lawsuit against Spirit AeroSystems, filed in December 2023. The shareholders alleged “quality failures” occurred because the company was chasing profits.

In January, Dean told the Wall Street Journal that he had been fired for pointing out that holes in jet fuselages had been drilled wrong. He was fired from Spirit Aerosystems in April 2023, and said his termination was in retaliation.

Spirit AeroSystems told the WSJ that it disagreed with Dean’s characterisation and that the company would defend itself in court.