Family Of Spirit Aerosystems Quality Auditor Confirms Death

Another Boeing Whistleblower Dies

Family of Spirit AeroSystems Quality Auditor Confirms Death

Dean Had Raised Concerns About Defects in 737 Max Jets

A Boeing whistleblower who raised the alarm about a supplier who had been ignoring defects in the production of 737 Max jets has died. The family of Joshua Dean, a quality auditor at supplier Spirit AeroSystems, confirmed his death on Tuesday.

Dean had gone public with his concerns in 2019, saying that he had found "widespread" problems with the way Spirit was producing parts for the 737 Max. He alleged that the company was ignoring quality control standards and that the planes were being built with "defective parts."

Boeing has denied Dean's allegations, but the company has since been fined millions of dollars by the Federal Aviation Administration for failing to properly oversee Spirit AeroSystems.

Dean's death is the latest in a string of deaths of Boeing whistleblowers. In 2019, another Boeing whistleblower, Ed Pierson, died after he raised concerns about the company's 787 Dreamliner model.

The deaths of these whistleblowers have raised questions about the safety of Boeing's airplanes and the company's culture of retaliation against those who speak out about problems.