Boeing Supplier Whistleblower Dies

While working at Spirit AeroSystems, Josh Dean reported improperly drilled holes on the pressure bulkhead that eventually led to a suspension of production at Boeing’s Washington State Max plant.

Russ Niles

Thursday, May 02, 2024 at 01:53 PM ET

Verified

Josh Dean filed a whistleblower complaint last November. He claimed he had been fired after reporting quality control issues at Spirit AeroSystems that eventually led to a suspension of production at Boeing’s Washington State Max plant. [Courtesy: Boeing]

Key Takeaways:

Josh Dean, a whistleblower who reported quality control issues at Boeing supplier Spirit AeroSystems, has died from an aggressive MRSA infection, becoming the second Boeing-related whistleblower to die in two months.
Dean, a former quality control inspector, was fired in 2023 after alleging defects like improperly drilled holes and was pursuing a complaint against Spirit for retaliation.
His death follows that of John "Mitch" Harnett, another whistleblower represented by the same legal firm, who died by apparent suicide in March, both having filed retaliation complaints.

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For the second time in two months a prominent Boeing-related whistleblower has died.

The Seattle Times is reporting Josh Dean, 45, a former quality control inspector at 737 Max fuselage supplier Spirit AeroSystems in Wichita, Kansas, died from an infection by an aggressive antibiotic-resistant bacteria called Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus, or MRSA. He died after two weeks in critical condition with the fast-spreading infection, the last few days on life support.