Joshua Dean, Boeing supplier whistleblower, has died at the age of 45

Joshua Dean, a former Spirit Aerosystems auditor and whistleblower who alleged that Spirit did not fix defects on the Boeing 737 production line, died Tuesday after a two-week battle with infection. He was 45 years old.

Dean was hospitalized with influenza B and MRSA, after which he developed pneumonia, according to his mother's Facebook post. His condition deteriorated quickly and he was transferred to a hospital in Oklahoma City.

There he was placed on an ECMO machine, which pumps blood outside the body and circulates it with oxygen, taking over the functions of the heart and lungs and allowing other organs to recover. He also underwent dialysis treatments. Shortly after the CT scan, it was discovered that Dean had suffered a stroke.

According to The Seattle Times, which first reported his death, Dean was "in good health and noted for his healthy lifestyle" prior to his hospitalization.

Dean worked at Spirit Aerosystems, the company responsible for manufacturing the 737 fuselage. The Seattle Times reported that Josh was fired from Spirit in April 2023 for "allegedly failing inspections that resulted in faulty tailplane fittings being sent to Boeing".

His allegations of "serious and gross misconduct by senior management on the quality of the 737 production line" were later presented in a civil suit by investors against Spirit.

Dean's death comes less than two months after 62-year-old Boeing whistleblower John Barnett was found dead in an apparent suicide. Barnett, a 32-year Boeing veteran, was in the midst of testifying in a long-running retaliation lawsuit against the company.

Barnett's 2019 complaint alleged that overworked employees at the South Carolina plant often installed substandard parts on the planes and reported faulty oxygen systems, which could result in one in four oxygen masks malfunctioning.