Josh Dean Passes Away, 45
A former quality control auditor for Boeing, Joshua Dean (45), passed away on Tuesday after a serious and sudden illness. Dean, who was in good health and led an active lifestyle, was one of the first whistleblowers to raise concerns over manufacturing defects on the 737 MAX. He worked for Boeing supplier Spirit AeroSystems in Wichita, Kansas, and had filed a complaint with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) about “serious and gross misconduct” by senior quality management at the supplier. He was fired from his job in 2023, after which he filed a complaint with the US Department of Labor, alleging retaliation for raising safety concerns.
According to Dean’s aunt, he had been struggling with breathing difficulties for two weeks when he went to the hospital. He was later diagnosed with pneumonia and a serious bacterial infection and was transferred to a hospital in Oklahoma City, where he was put on a machine to support his heart and lung function. He passed away despite medical interventions. The cause of his infection is not yet known. Dean’s lawyer, who had also represented another Boeing whistleblower, confirmed his death and expressed shock and sadness at his passing.
This is not the first time that a whistleblower raising concerns about Boeing’s manufacturing processes has met an untimely death. Earlier this year, John “Mitch” Barnett, another whistleblower, was found dead from an apparent suicide while giving depositions as part of a shareholder lawsuit against the company.
Barnett had also alleged retaliation from Boeing for raising concerns about quality lapses. His death was reported as a “self-inflicted gunshot wound” by the Charleston County Coroner’s Office. Investigations into his death are ongoing.
Dean, a mechanical engineer, had discovered in October 2022 that mechanics at Spirit had wrongly drilled holes in the aft pressure bulkhead of the 737 MAX, but his superiors did not act on his findings. After his firing, Spirit AeroSystems announced the discovery of incorrectly drilled holes in the same area, triggering a pause in manufacturing at Boeing’s Renton facility.
Subsequent investigations by Spirit have also revealed defects in fittings attaching the plane’s vertical fin to the fuselage. Dean had claimed that his firing was due to his discovery of these defects, which caused a pause in manufacturing, essentially making him a “scapegoat.”
Following Dean’s firing, he filed a safety complaint with the FAA, claiming that Spirit had lied to the agency about the aft pressure bulkhead defects. However, he received a letter from the FAA in November stating that the investigation into the matter had been concluded, but without revealing any findings.
Dean then filed a whistleblower complaint with the US Department of Labor. In his complaint, he alleged “gross misconduct of senior level Spirit AeroSystems Quality Managers” and wrongful termination. A former coworker of Dean’s at Spirit later confirmed some of his allegations after a door plug had failed mid-flight on a Boeing 737 MAX in January.
The death of another Boeing whistleblower has raised questions about the company’s safety and culture. It has also renewed concerns about the treatment of employees who raise safety concerns within the company and the effectiveness of regulators in carrying out their duties. Investigations into Dean’s death are ongoing, and the results of the FAA’s investigation into his safety complaint are yet to be disclosed.
Meanwhile, Boeing and Spirit AeroSystems have not commented on Dean’s death or the allegations made by him. Many are mourning the loss of Dean, who risked his career to raise concerns and highlight lapses in safety in one of the world’s leading aerospace companies.