Joshua Dean, a former quality auditor for Spirit AeroSystems, a Boeing supplier, and one of the first whistleblowers to allege that Spirit executives ignored manufacturing defects in the 737 MAX aircraft, died Tuesday morning after battling a sudden, rapidly spreading infection, Seattle Times reports.
Dean, known as Josh, lived in Wichita, Kan. where Spirit is based. He was 45 years old, in good health and noted for his healthy lifestyle. According to his aunt Carol Parsons, he died after being in critical condition for a fortnight. 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.
Dean found in 2022 that mechanics were violating the technology for drilling holes in the MAX series aircraft’s pressurised bulkheads. He reported it to his superiors, but they ignored the situation. During the same inspection, he failed to notice another defect, which caused his termination in 2023.
After his dismissal, he filed a complaint with the Department of Labour, claiming that his dismissal was retaliation for raising aviation safety concerns.
According to Parsons, just over a fortnight ago, Dean became ill and was taken to hospital because he was having difficulty breathing. He was intubated and developed pneumonia and then a serious MRSA bacterial infection.
His condition deteriorated quickly and he was airlifted from Wichita to a hospital in Oklahoma City, Parsons said. There, he was placed on an ECMO machine, which circulates and oxygenates a patient’s blood outside the body, taking over heart and lung functions when the patient’s organs cannot function on their own.
On Friday, his mother posted a message on Facebook giving all these details and saying Dean was “fighting for his life.” He was heavily sedated and put on dialysis. A CT scan showed he had suffered a stroke, his mother’s post said.
By the end, doctors were considering amputating both hands and both feet. Parsons said:
It was brutal what he went through. Heartbreaking.
Dean was represented by a South Carolina law firm that also represented Boeing whistleblower John “Mitch” Barnett.
Barnett was found dead in March. He was just testifying, claiming Boeing was retaliating against him for complaining about quality deficiencies, when he was found dead from a gunshot wound in Charleston, South Carolina, where Boeing has a 787 manufacturing plant.
