Boeing whistleblower Joshua Dean dies suddenly after accusing supplier of ignoring safety flaws in 737 Max production

Another Boeing whistleblower has died after the family of Joshua Dean, a quality auditor at supplier Spirit AeroSystems, confirmed Tuesday that he has died at the age of 44, three months after testifying against the aircraft manufacturing giant.

Dean had accused Boeing of ignoring warnings about defects in production of the controversial 737 Max in a shareholder lawsuit against Spirit, the manufacturer of the infamous door plug that blew into the air during an Alaska Airlines flight in January.

His aunt, Carol Parsons, confirmed his death in a series of Facebook posts, as did other family members in messages seen by MailOnline. Parsons also confirmed his death in a statement The Seattle Times.

Parsons told the newspaper that Dean went to a hospital in Wichita, Kansas, where he lived, after experiencing breathing difficulties. During his stay, Dean developed MRSA and pneumonia and required intubation.

“Our thoughts are with Josh Dean’s family. This sudden loss is stunning news here and for his loved ones,” said Joe Buccino, spokesperson for Spirit AeroSystems.

Boeing has long denied Dean and other whistleblowers’ claims that the company deliberately ignored safety warnings.

On Monday, Dean was still conscious and communicating with doctors, his mother said in a post on Facebook. A doctor at the time told him he had a “50/50 chance of living.”

“Josh is very depressed and anxious, sleeping a lot and not as responsive as he was a few days ago, and has not taken any anesthesia or painkillers,” his mother wrote.

In his final days, Dean breathed through an ECMO machine. ‘The doctor asked him if he wanted to turn off the machine, but he didn’t respond. “I told the doctor he doesn’t know what he wants, I’m sure he wants to live,” his mother added.

She further said that her son was sedated and a procedure was performed to examine the damage to his lungs due to the pneumonia he had contracted.

Doctors discovered Dean had contracted MRSA and tested positive for influenza B. A further scan revealed he had also suffered a stroke.

On Wednesday, Parsons wrote in a Facebook post: “I am grateful for the prayers of my family and friends for this young man. He passed away yesterday morning and his absence will be deeply felt. We will always love you, Josh.”

Dean’s brother Justin died last January at the age of 26.

In January, Dean said The Wall Street Journal that he was fired for pointing out that holes had been wrongly drilled in a hull, something his employer denied.

‘It is known at Spirit that if you make too much noise and cause too many problems, you become moved. That doesn’t mean you ignore things completely, but they don’t want you to look it all up and write it down,” he said.

Boeing Co. 737 fuselage sections are on the assembly floor at Spirit AeroSystems in Wichita, Kansas in a file photo

In March, another Boeing whistleblower, John Barnett, took his own life during legal proceedings against Boeing. He died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

Dean and Barnett were represented by the same attorney, Brian Knowles, who in brief comments to The Seattle Times declined to speculate about his clients’ sudden deaths.

‘Whistleblowers are necessary. They expose misconduct and corruption in the interest of society. It takes a lot of courage to stand up,” Knowles told the newspaper.

Dean described a pizza party held at the Wichita plant to celebrate the drop in reported defects, and said the talk over the meal quickly turned to the observation that the profits were only due to underreporting of problems.

Dean’s complaints are included in a shareholder lawsuit filed against Spirit in December, alleging the company failed to disclose defects.

Spirit told the Journal that it strongly denies the allegations in the lawsuit and that it “remains focused on the quality of every aircraft that leaves our facilities.”