Second Boeing whistleblower dies suddenly in less than two months

For the second time in two months, a Boeing whistleblower has suddenly died.

Joshua Dean, a 45-year-old quality inspector for the Boeing supplier Spirit AeroSystems, died suddenly this week from a surprise staph infection, according to his family.

According to the Seattle Times, citing Mr. Dean’s aunt Carol Parsons, the cause was Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, an antibiotic-resistant infection commonly known as MRSA.

The Times reported that the Wichita, Kansas resident had been in good health and known in his circle for his healthy lifestyle.

“Our thoughts and prayers are with Josh and his family,” Mr. Dean’s attorneys, Brian Knowles and Rob Turkewitz, told Fox News on Thursday. “Josh’s passing is a loss to the aviation community and the flying public. He possessed tremendous courage to stand up for what he felt was true and right and raised quality and safety issues.”

Mr. Dean was fired in 2023 and had filed a federal complaint saying he was retaliated against for being one of the first to speak out about manufacturing defects on Boeing’s 737 MAX jet, which has had multiple catastrophic failures in recent years.

That complaint alleged “serious and gross misconduct by senior quality management of the 737 production line” at Spirit, the Times reported.

He has been deposed in connection with a shareholder lawsuit.

He is the second Boeing whistleblower to die suddenly this spring.

John Barnett was found dead March 9 from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound.

The 62-year-old Barnett was found dead in the parking lot outside his hotel the day after being deposed in his own retaliation lawsuit in Charleston, South Carolina. He had been scheduled for a second day of depositions on the day he committed suicide.

Barnett had told the media in January, after an Alaska Airlines plane had a door panel blow off mid-flight, that he feared Boeing was returning its 737 Max to the sky too quickly.

Both men were being represented by the same law firm.

“Aviation companies should encourage and incentivize those that do raise these concerns,” the lawyers said. “Otherwise, safety and quality are truly not these companies’ top priorities.”