ANOTHER ONE? Second Boeing whistleblower dies following struggle with “sudden, fast-spreading infection”

05/07/2024 / By Ava Grace

A whistleblower at Boeing supplier Spirit AeroSystems died following a struggle with a “sudden, fast-spreading infection.” This is the second Boeing-linked whistleblower to die under suspicious circumstances.

Joshua Dean, a 45-year-old former mechanical engineer and quality auditor from Wichita, Kansas, became a whistleblower when he alleged that Spirit AeroSystems’ leadership ignored manufacturing defects with Boeing’s notorious passenger airplane the 737 MAX. These alleged defects included “mechanics improperly drilling holes in the aft pressure bulkhead of the MAX.” (Related: TERRIFYING: Mid-air blowout leaves gaping hole on the side of Boeing 737 MAX 9.)

When he brought his concerns up with Spirit AeroSystems management, he alleged that nothing was done about it. This forced him to become a whistleblower by filing a safety complaint with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). Dean alleged that Spirit AeroSystems retaliated by turning him into a scapegoat and lying to the FAA regarding the alleged defects.

“After I was fired, Spirit AeroSystems [initially] did nothing to inform the FAA, and the public” regarding the bulkhead defects, said Dean in his complaint.

In November, the FAA suggested to Dean in a letter that his claims had merit. “The investigation determined that your allegations were appropriately addressed under an FAA-approved safety program,” the FAA told Dean. “However, due to the privacy provisions of those programs, specific details cannot be released.”

Dean also gave a deposition in a shareholder lawsuit with Spirit AeroSystems. The lawsuit alleges that Spirit AeroSystems executives withheld information on the quality flaws of their products that harmed stockholders. Supporting the suit, Dean provided a deposition detailing his allegations.

New attention was placed on the allegations of quality lapses in Spirit AeroSystems after a panel blew off a Boeing 737 MAX plane in January mid-flight, with at least one of Dean’s former colleagues coming forward to confirm some of Dean’s allegations against the company.

Dean in good health, lived a healthy lifestyle before his sudden death

Dean’s aunt, Carol Parsons, noted that Dean became ill and went to the hospital just over two weeks before his sudden passing.

Before he went to the hospital, he was noted as having been in very good health and “having a healthy lifestyle.”

Dean went to the hospital because of serious difficulty breathing. He was intubated and then developed pneumonia and afterwards was infected with MRSA (methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus).

Dean’s condition deteriorated rapidly following his hospitalization, so much so that he had to be airlifted from his hospital in Wichita to a hospital in Oklahoma City 160 miles south.

Parsons relayed to news outlets that after his admission to the hospital in Oklahoma, he was put on an ECMO (extracorporeal membrane oxygenation) machine, which circulates and oxygenates a patient’s blood outside the body, taking over the functions of the heart and lungs when they don’t work on their own.

He had been in good health, and “was noted for having a healthy lifestyle,” according to the report. He had been in critical condition for two weeks, according to his aunt Carol Parsons.

Dean was also heavily sedated and put on dialysis. A CT scan indicated he had suffered a stroke. Right near the end of his life, desperate doctors were considering amputating both his hands and both feet.

“It was brutal what he went through,” said Parsons. “Heartbreaking.”

Spirit AeroSystems Joe Buccino said in a statement that the company’s “thoughts are with Josh Dean’s family. This sudden loss is stunning news here and for his loved ones.”

Watch this news clip from Fox News discussing the mysterious and suspicious death of a second Boeing whistleblower.

This video is from the channel Son of the Republic on Brighteon.com.