Josh Dean, a former quality inspector at a Boeing supplier who raised concerns about the safety of the 737 Max jet, has died. “Our thoughts are with Josh Dean’s family,” said Spirit AeroSystems, a company that makes aircraft parts for Boeing. “This sudden loss is devastating news for us and for his relatives.”
Dean, who was 45, was taken to hospital after he began having breathing problems just over two weeks ago and was battling pneumonia and MRSA, a serious bacterial infection. This is reported by the Seattle Times, citing his aunt Carol Parsons. Dean had filed an affidavit in a lawsuit filed by Spirit shareholders and also filed a complaint with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) alleging “serious and gross misconduct by senior quality management on the 737 production line” at Spirit, according to the statement Seattle Times report.
Crashes and groundings at Boeing
Dean’s death follows the death of another Boeing whistleblower, John Barnett, who died of a self-inflicted wound in March, according to media reports. In an interview with The Wall Street Journal published earlier this year, Dean said he was laid off during the pandemic and that by the time he returned in May 2021, his employer, Spirit, had lost many experienced mechanics and quality inspectors.
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He claimed he was later fired after pointing out incorrectly drilled holes in the hulls, the report said. A company spokesman said at the time that it strongly denied the allegations in the shareholder lawsuit. Dean had filed a complaint with the Department of Labor alleging his termination was retaliation for raising safety concerns, according to the Seattle Times.
Boeing’s safety record and workplace culture are under scrutiny after a series of high-profile quality control problems, including a near-catastrophic mid-air incident earlier this year. The incident on an Alaska Airlines flight led to the FAA ordering a temporary grounding of 171 aircraft for inspection, while airlines around the world briefly withdrew their aircraft from service. No one was injured and the plane landed safely.
The 737 Max has an eventful history. Regulators worldwide grounded the jet after fatal crashes in Indonesia and Ethiopia in 2018 and 2019 that killed hundreds of passengers on board. What followed was 20 months in which lawmakers and others denounced Boeing’s safety culture, resulting in billions of dollars in lost sales and other costs. The model’s grounding was lifted in the United States in November 2020 after Boeing made a series of software upgrades and training changes. Other countries then followed in different ways.