Another whistleblower against Boeing died last Tuesday after his battle with a sudden and fast-spreading infection.
He was a quality auditor for Spirit AeroSystems, a supplier for Boeing, and one of the whistleblowers who exposed that Spirit executives ignored the manufacturing defects of the 737 MAX.
Spirit supplies various plane parts for Boeing, including the door plug that popped open in January, forcing an Alaska Airlines 737 MAX flight to conduct an emergency landing.
Dean, whom his colleagues often call Josh, lives in Wichita, Kansas, the same area where the company’s factory is located.
Josh was 45 years old, in good shape, and has been living a healthy lifestyle, according to his friends and family.
With a degree in mechanical engineering and years of experience in the field, he refused to ignore the malpractices of Spirit.
He participated in a federal class action lawsuit against Spirit and a complaint with the Federal Aviation Administration for “serious and gross misconduct by senior quality management of the 737 production line.”
The complaint wrote, “Constant quality failures resulted in part from Spirit’s culture, which prioritized production numbers and short-term financial outcomes over product quality.”
This move led to his illegal dismissal by April 2023. He filed a complaint with the Department of Labor and stated that his termination was retaliation for his actions.
A former colleague, Lance Thompson, noted that Dean raised issues with the mechanics on the factory floor.
“There was value in what he did, and he found some things you might not expect to,” said Thompson.
Dean “caught ’em because he was standing over their shoulder watching them, and nobody else was.”
Among the issues he raised were improperly drilled holes on the 737 MAX aft pressure bunk head. This lapse was concerning because that component helps maintain pressure during flight.
In February, he spoke with NPR and said that the termination was a warning for his co-workers, who were considering going against the company.
If you are too loud, we will silence you,” he said.
According to his aunt Carol Parsons, Dean got sick and went to the hospital because he had a hard time breathing. Doctors say he acquired pneumonia and developed a serious bacterial infection.
As his condition worsened, the hospital had to transfer him to Oklahoma City. There he was put on an ECMO machine to allow blood to circulate and oxygenate outside the body; this also functions as a heart and lungs when his organs fail to work on their own.
By Friday, his mother had written to Facebook and remarked that his son, Josh, was “fighting for his life.”
His lawyers were from the same firm that represented Boeing whistleblower and former quality manager John “Mitch” Barnett, who was found dead from a gunshot wound in Charleston, South Carolina.
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Author: The Raging Patriot
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