(WatchDogReport.org) – A second Boeing whistleblower who used to work as a quality auditor at the aerospace company’s supplier Spirit AeroSystems died on April 30. In a statement, the family of Joshua Dean said that he suddenly died after suffering from an illness.
Before falling ill, Dean accused the supplier of ignoring numerous defects in the 737 MAX’s production. The narrow-body airliner has been experiencing a reputation downgrade over the last few years because of fatal crashes and safety issues. These problems have also plagued Boeing, which has suffered a loss of confidence from many users in the United States and worldwide.
The whistleblower claimed he was fired from Spirit AeroSystems using “false justification” in retaliation for speaking out over the defects he had found.
Dean was only 45 years old, and his sister and aunt announced his death on Facebook, where they said he contracted pneumonia and had a sudden MRSA infection that led to a fatal stroke. They also explained that the family was in shock as Dean was always a healthy man who had a “healthy lifestyle.”
In a separate statement, his lawyer, Brian Knowles, also said that his death was a shock and explained that it represented a significant loss not only to the flying public but also to the entire aviation community. Spirit, through a spokesperson, also noted that Dean’s sudden death represented “stunning news” and expressed its condolences to his family and loved ones.
Dean is the second whistleblower to come out against the company, only to die suddenly over the last couple of months. The first one was John Barnett, who was found dead back in March, with South Carolina police officers saying he shot himself with a pistol.
The pair of untimely deaths are sure to bring renewed attention and criticism to Boing, which has already been under fire for an incident in January when a door blew off a 737 Max mid-flight.
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