Joshua Dean, a former quality auditor at Spirit AeroSystems, a Boeing supplier and one of the early whistleblowers on manufacturing defects in the 737 MAX aircraft, died after "battling a sudden and fast-spreading infection." The Seattle Times reported that Dean was 45 years old, lived in Kansas, led a healthy lifestyle, and had no prior health complaints, but he became critically ill during the two weeks leading up to his death. Dean had previously complained to U.S. aviation regulators regarding the Spirit 737 production line and had testified in a lawsuit against the company's shareholders. It was noted that he was hospitalized with respiratory issues, was diagnosed with a bacterial infection, and subsequently suffered organ failure. Spirit terminated Dean in April 2023, and he had filed a complaint with the Department of Labor alleging that his termination was retaliation for raising aviation safety concerns.
Additionally, on March 12, a former Boeing quality control engineer, John Barnett, who reported problems in aircraft assembly, was found dead in his car days after testifying in a lawsuit against the company. The police found the body of the 62-year-old, who worked at Boeing for 32 years and retired in 2017, in his car near a hotel in South Carolina. Authorities stated that the cause of death was a "self-inflicted wound," and the incident is still under investigation.
