A former quality auditor at Boeing supplier Spirit AeroSystems who was among the first whistleblowers to allege Spirit leadership had ignored manufacturing defects on the 737 MAX died Tuesday.
Joshua Dean lost his life after a struggle with a sudden, fast-spreading infection, the Seattle Times reports.
He was aged 45 and reportedly in good health before his sudden demise after a two week fight for life in hospital.
The Times report details Dean’s role in the allegations against Boeing:
Dean had given a deposition in a Spirit shareholder lawsuit and also filed a complaint with the Federal Aviation Administration alleging “serious and gross misconduct by senior quality management of the 737 production line” at Spirit.
Spirit fired Dean in April 2023, and he had filed a complaint with the Department of Labor alleging his termination was in retaliation for raising concerns…
