Following a tragic illness, a former quality auditor at a Boeing supplier passed away at the age of 45. He had revealed serious issues with the 737 Max manufactured by the US aircraft manufacturer.
A second fatality in just two months. Following the early March suicide of former Boeing employee John Barnett, there was a recent death of someone who had voiced concerns about quality issues at the US aircraft maker. A "sudden, rapidly spreading infection" killed 45-year-old Joshua Dean, according to Le Parisien, who quotes a Seattle Times piece.
One of the initial 737 Max whistleblowers
This former quality controller of Spirit AeroSystems, a Boeing subcontractor, is credited as being among the first to reveal the 737 Max production flaw controversy.
Joshua Dean, according to The Seattle Times, led a "healthy lifestyle" and was previously in good health. However, he had to have medical testing after suffering from severe respiratory problems. He passed away from pneumonia and a dangerous bacterial illness in less than two weeks. According to a scan, he also had a stroke.
In the case of an unjust dismissal
Joshua Dean filed a claim for wrongful dismissal after his company fired him last year due to concerns he brought up regarding flight safety. He revealed in 2022 that he had found a significant manufacturing flaw in the 737 Max, namely related to incorrectly drilled holes in the pressurisation partitions. His company would have made an effort to downplay these noted flaws.
Joshua Dean told the Wall Street Journal in January of last year that "it is known at Spirit that if you make too much noise and cause too many problems, you will be transferred," according to Le Parisien.
As of right now, nothing points to a connection between the two fatalities, according to Brian Knolwles, the attorney for these two individuals, who is awaiting review of the investigators' file.