Second Boeing whistleblower dies ‘suddenly’ in Oklahoma

A second Boeing whistleblower has died just two months after his colleague was found dead with gunshot wounds in a car park.

Joshua Dean, a former quality auditor at Boeing supplier Spirit AeroSystems, warned of manufacturing defects in the planemaker’s 737 Max.

He filed a complaint with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) alleging “serious and gross misconduct by senior quality management of the 737 production line” at Spirit.

The 45-year-old died on Tuesday after developing pneumonia following a “fast-moving” infection of Influenza B and MRSA.

According to reports, Mr Dean had an active lifestyle and was believed to be in good health until his “sudden” death in Oklahoma.

Mr Dean was represented by the same legal team that represented Boeing whistleblower John Barnett until his death in March.

Mr Barnett, 62, was found dead in a vehicle in a hotel car park, having suffered a self-inflicted gunshot wound. He had been due to testify in a lawsuit against his former employer.

Boeing has been plagued by a series of incidents involving its planes, with two fatal crashes in 2018 and 2019 killing of 346 people.

In January, a door flew off an Alaska Airlines Boeing 737 Max 9 mid-flight, leading to an investigation by the FAA.

Soon afterwards, four people came forward, including the two whistleblowers, alleging that Boeing “cut corners” during manufacturing.

Mr Dean, who was fired by Spirit last year, lodged a complaint claiming that his termination came in response to him flagging safety concerns.

He told the Wall Street Journal that he had been fired for pointing out that holes in jet fuselages had been drilled incorrectly.

“It is known at Spirit that if you make too much noise and cause too much trouble, you will be moved,” Mr Dean said.

“It doesn’t mean you completely disregard stuff, but they don’t want you to find everything and write it up.”

After spending almost three decades at Boeing, Mr Barnett told The New York Times in 2019 that he had discovered “clusters or metal slivers” hanging over the wiring of flight controls. He said they could have caused “catastrophic” damage if they had penetrated wires.

Mr Barnett claimed he was moved to another part of the plant after management ignored his concerns.

Amid the allegations and incidents involving Boeing planes, Dave Calhoun, the company’s chief executive, announced in March that he would step down at the end of the year.

In the first quarter of 2024, Boeing reported a $355 million net loss.