On 30th April, former quality auditor at Boeing supplier Spirit AeroSystems Joshua Dean died of a fast-spreading bacterial infection. He was one of the first whistleblowers who alleged that the company ignored manufacturing defects on the 737 MAX. Dean was based out of Wichita, Kan, where Spirit is based.
45-year-old Dean was in good health. Reports suggest that he was following a healthy lifestyle. Two weeks before his death, he was rushed to hospital as he was having trouble breathing. He was incubated at the hospital after which he developed pneumonia followed by a serious bacterial infection Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus Aureus (MRSA). It is a serious staph bacteria infection that is resistant to some antibiotics.
As his health condition got worse, Joshua Dean was airlifted from Wichita to a hospital in Oklahoma City. Speaking to the media, his aunt Carol Parsons said that at the hospital in Oklahoma, he was put on an ECMO machine as his organs were unable to function properly. ECMO machine takes over the blood circulation and oxygenation outside the body. ECMO machine takes over the functions of the heart and lungs and it is used when these organs are unable to function on their own.
In a post on social media on 26th April, Dean’s mother informed that he was “fighting for his life”. She added that he was heavily sedated and put on dialysis. Furthermore, his mother informed him that tests revealed Dean had a stroke. Close to his death, the doctors were even considering amputating his hands and feet. Parsons termed what Dean went through as “brutal” and “heartbreaking”.
In a statement, Spirit spokesperson Joe Buccino said, “Our thoughts are with Josh Dean’s family. This sudden loss is stunning news here and for his loved ones.”
Role of Joshua Dean the case against Boeing
Notably, Dean gave a deposition in a Spirit shareholder lawsuit and filed a complaint with the Federal Aviation Administration. In his complaint, he alleged that there was serious and gross misconduct by senior quality management of the 737 production line. Dean started working for Spirit in 2019 as a mechanical engineer. In 2020, he was laid off during the pandemic. However, he returned to the company in May 2021 as a quality auditor. In October 2022, he found a serious manufacturing defect and when he flagged the issue, the company allegedly did nothing.
Another defect was discovered by him in April 2023 leading to delivery pause. He was removed from his job, after which he filed a complaint with the Department of Labor alleging he was removed as a retaliation for raising concerns over quality control.
Dean became the second whistleblower to die in the Boeing case. Earlier, John “Mitch” Barnett was found dead in an apartment in March this year. He was in the process of giving depositions against Boeing alleging the company retaliated against him for complaints about quality lapses. Barnett was found dead from a gunshot wound in Charleston SC. Boeing has its 787 manufacturing facility in the region. Barnett had spoken about manufacturing and quality issues in Boeing long before the Alaska Airlines mishap in January this year highlighted the safety concerns in Boeing aircraft. On January 5, a door along with a part of the fuselage of a Boeing 737 MAX-9 operated by Alaska Air fell off (Blowout as reported widely) when the flight reached an altitude of 16,000 feet.
The Coroner’s Officer of Charleston County asserted that his death “appeared to be from a self-inflicted gunshot wound”. The investigation into his death is underway.
Both Dean and Barnett were represented by same law firm in the case. One of Dean’s lawyers Brian Knowles said, “Whistleblowers are needed. They bring to light wrongdoing and corruption in the interests of society. It takes a lot of courage to stand It’s a difficult set of circumstances. Our thoughts now are with John’s family and Josh’s family.”
Boeing aircraft suffer mishap after mishap, non-stop
Another FAA audit that spanned six weeks has concluded last week that multiple instances were found where Boeing failed to comply with manufacturing quality control requirements.
In the January Alaska Airlines ‘door falling off mid-air’ incident, the US National Transportation Safety Board found that four key bolts, designed to hold the door securely in place, were not fitted.
Following the mid-air blowout, Alaska Airlines grounded all of its 65 Boeing 737-MAX 9 aircraft for inspection. A day after the Alaska Airlines incident, the United States air aviation regulator, the Federal Aviation Administration ordered airlines to temporarily ground more than 170 Boeing 737 Max 9 aircraft for “immediate inspections” following the Alaska Airlines incident. Since then, dozens of incidents involving Boeing aircraft have been reported.