A aviation worker — who publicly raised safety concerns and alleged retaliation by his employer — died following a brief illness, weeks after the death of another Boeing whistleblower, it was announced Thursday the lawyers who represented the two men.
Joshua Dean, 45, of Wichita, Kansas, died Tuesday after receiving multiple diagnoses, including influenza, pneumonia and MRSAprompting his family to request an autopsy, attorney Robert Turkewitz said.
“He was a healthy individual who ate well and exercised,” Turkewitz told NBC News. “So it seems strange that it went so quickly.”
Dean had been sick for two weeks and was having trouble breathing, forcing him to be put on a ventilator.
“Our thoughts and prayers are with Josh and his family,” Brian Knowles, another attorney representing Dean, said in a statement. “Josh’s passing is a loss to the aviation community and the traveling public. He possessed immense courage to stand up for what he believed to be true and right and raised issues of quality and safety.”
Turkewitz and Knowles also represented John Barnett, a 62-year-old Louisiana resident, died March 9 following a self-inflicted gunshot wound in Charleston, South Carolina, officials said.
Barnett was in town for a deposition in his federal lawsuit against Boeing, with his case expected to go before an administrative law judge later this year, his lawyers said.
Barnett, who spent more than three decades at Boeing, told aviation authorities in 2017 about what he called potentially “catastrophic” safety flaws with the 787 Dreamliner.
Dean was a former quality auditor at Boeing supplier Spirit AeroSystems, and he alleged that executives failed to respond to manufacturing defects in the 737 MAX planes.
Although he was not a plaintiff, he is mentioned in a shareholder lawsuit against Spirit in 2023.
The “improperly drilled holes” in the rear bulkhead of the MAX planes were reported by Dean, who submitted “formal written findings to his manager,” but Spirit “covered up the defect.” according to the lawsuit. These holes could create cracks and threaten the structural integrity of an aircraft.
“Now, I’m not saying they don’t want you to go and inspect a job. You know, they do,” he said. NPR This year. “But if you make too much trouble, you’ll get the Josh treatment. You’ll get what happened to me.”
Dean was fired from the company on April 26, 2023, in what he said was an act of retaliation.
“I think they were sending a message to someone else,” Dean said. “If you’re too loud, we’ll shut you up.”
Spirit said in a statement that it mourned Dean’s passing, but declined to comment on his accusations. The vendor previously told NPR that it strongly disagrees with the allegations in the lawsuit and is fighting the case in court.
“Our hearts go out to Josh Dean’s family,” Spirit spokesman Joe Buccino said in the release. “This sudden loss is heartbreaking news here at Spirit and for those close to him.”
The stress of recent years could have taken a toll on Dean,…
