Boeing Whistleblower Dies Weeks After Safety Allegations

Another Boeing whistleblower has died in less than a year, which raises serious questions about aviation safety oversight. Joshua Dean, a 45-year-old former quality auditor at Spirit AeroSystems, lost his life after a severe infection led to pneumonia and kidney failure.

Dean had filed complaints with the FAA about “serious and gross misconduct” in Boeing 737 Max aircraft manufacturing. His role as a quality inspector at Spirit AeroSystems, one of the core team suppliers for Boeing, revealed critical safety concerns about improperly drilled holes in 737 Max jets’ fuselage. Spirit AeroSystems fired Dean in April 2023, an action he believed was retaliation for exposing these safety problems. His death coincides with ongoing federal investigations into Boeing and Spirit AeroSystems, sparked by a door panel that blew off a 737 Max 9 during flight.

Infection Claims Life of Boeing Safety Whistleblower

“We are saddened by Mr. Barnett’s passing, and our thoughts are with his family and friends.” — Boeing, Major aerospace company

Joshua Dean, a quality auditor at Spirit AeroSystems who exposed manufacturing defects in Boeing’s 737 Max aircraft, died on Monday after battling a severe infection. Dean’s condition deteriorated faster after doctors admitted him to the hospital with breathing difficulties. He developed pneumonia and later contracted a serious bacterial infection.

Former Auditor Succumbs to Mysterious Illness

The 45-year-old whistleblower’s sudden passing has raised concerns throughout the aviation industry. Dean managed to keep an active lifestyle before his death and showed steadfast dedication to health and wellness. His condition worsened substantially after doctors placed him on a ventilator because of respiratory complications.

Dean’s legal representative, Robert Turkewitz, highlighted how unexpected his client’s decline was, noting that Dean had been in excellent health before. On top of that, the attorney suggested that extended stress from whistleblowing activities could have weakened Dean’s immune system and made him more vulnerable to severe infections.

Family Describes Rapid Health Decline

Dean’s mother said he contracted pneumonia in April. The illness became complicated by an MRSA infection that ended up causing a stroke. His aunt, Carol Dean Parsons, announced his passing through social media and shared how deeply his loss affected the family.

Dean had filed multiple complaints about safety concerns at Spirit AeroSystems before his death. His December lawsuit detailed how management consistently ignored his reports about problems with the aft pressure bulkhead on Boeing 737 aircraft. He had also submitted formal complaints to both the Federal Aviation Administration and the Department of Labor. These complaints alleged serious misconduct in quality management and claimed his termination in April 2023 was retaliatory.

The whistleblower had described a troubling workplace culture at Spirit’s Wichita factory. He claimed aircraft left the facility with undetected defects because of unrealistic deadlines and pressure to minimize defect reporting. Dean revealed that the company hosted a celebration for decreased defect numbers in one concerning incident. Many employees knew the reduction came from fear of reporting issues rather than actual improvements in quality.

Spirit AeroSystems Faces Quality Control Scrutiny

Santiago Paredes, a former quality inspector at Spirit AeroSystems, has exposed major manufacturing defects in Boeing 737 Max fuselages. His twelve-year experience at the Wichita factory led him to find between 50 to 200 defects on each fuselage ready for shipping to Boeing.

Whistleblower Exposes Manufacturing Defects

Paredes’s quality control checks revealed missing fasteners, bent parts, and sometimes completely absent components. Management nicknamed him “Showstopper” because his detailed defect documentation slowed down production schedules.

The situation reached a breaking point in February 2022. Management ordered Paredes to reduce defect counts in official documentation. He refused and faced immediate demotion as punishment. “They were upset for me finding defects,” Paredes said. “It was never the people that created the defects’ fault. It was my fault for finding it”.

The Federal Aviation Administration’s recent audit backs these claims. Their investigation shows both Boeing and Spirit AeroSystems failed to meet manufacturing quality control requirements. The audit team also found problems with Boeing’s manufacturing process control, parts handling, storage, and product control.

Company Denies Safety Compromise Claims

Spirit AeroSystems firmly rejects these allegations and states they “strongly disagree” with the claims. The company’s financial records tell a different story – they lost USD 617 million in the first quarter alone.

Production quota pressure seems to have hurt quality standards. Quality concerns grew worse after Spirit ramped up monthly fuselage production from mid-30s to more than 50 units in 2018. Paredes noted, “They always said they didn’t have time to fix the mistakes. They needed to get the planes out”.

The FAA has sent about two dozen aviation safety inspectors to examine Spirit’s Wichita factory thoroughly. Boeing admits that roughly 50 jets need extra work before leaving the factory because of incorrectly drilled holes.

Boeing Grapples with Mounting Safety Concerns

A door panel blew off Boeing 737 Max 9 aircraft at 16,000 feet during Alaska Airlines Flight 1282 on January 5. This incident led to a cabin decompression that hurt several passengers and started major investigations into Boeing’s manufacturing practices.

Alaska Airlines Door Incident Sparks Investigation

The National Transportation Safety Board’s early findings showed a startling discovery. Four most important bolts that should have secured the door plug were missing. Boeing later admitted that missing paperwork caused this oversight. The work order never reached the workers who needed to put the bolts back, which made the door plug incident unavoidable.

FAA Intensifies Manufacturing Oversight

The Federal Aviation Administration responded with complete audits of Boeing’s production processes. Their team found 97 cases where Boeing failed to follow proper manufacturing control, parts handling, and storage procedures. The FAA quickly grounded about 171 Boeing 737-9 MAX planes.

FAA Administrator Mike Whitaker admitted the agency had been “too hands-off” in its oversight. The FAA then:

• Stopped Boeing from expanding 737 MAX production
• Boosted monitoring of 737-9 MAX planes in service
• Started looking at safety risks around delegated authority

CEO Announces Departure Amid Crisis

Dave Calhoun announced he would step down as Boeing’s CEO by year-end on March 25, 2024. His decision came as pressure mounted over Boeing’s safety record and damaged relationships with airline customers and regulators. Boeing paid Alaska Airlines USD 160 million to cover lost revenues from the door plug incident.

Boeing has promised to make major changes. The company now works on a new door plug design to boost security and plans to modernize existing planes within a year. Boeing has also slowed its production lines to ensure better quality control.

The Department of Justice started a criminal investigation into the whole ordeal. The FAA continues its increased oversight of Boeing’s manufacturing facilities. Boeing must present a complete action plan within 90 days to fix their systemic quality-control problems.

Second Whistleblower Death Raises Industry Questions

“I know that he did not commit suicide. There’s no way. He loved life too much. He loved his family too much. He loved his brothers too much to put them through what they’re going through right now.” — Jennifer, Close family friend of John Barnett

More than 25,000 people want the Department of Justice to investigate the deaths of two Boeing whistleblowers that happened just weeks apart. MoveOn, a progressive advocacy group, leads this push as people grow increasingly worried about how Boeing treats employees who speak up about safety issues.

Parallels with John Barnett Case

Police found John Barnett, a 62-year-old former Boeing quality manager, dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound in his hotel parking lot in Charleston. He died while giving testimony in his whistleblower lawsuit against Boeing. Boeing’s attorneys had questioned him intensely for two days before his death.

Barnett spent 32 years at Boeing and found several serious safety problems. He discovered discarded metal shavings near flight control wiring and found that up to 25% of oxygen systems on Boeing’s 787 planes had issues. An FAA review in 2017 proved some of his claims and confirmed that the factory couldn’t track at least 53 non-conforming parts.

Legal Team Seeks Answers

Brian Knowles, the attorney who represented both Barnett and Dean, called them “heroes” who wanted to “help the company do better”. Barnett’s legal team showed how he faced constant pushback – his performance scores dropped, work teams isolated him, and he got criticized for reporting equipment problems.

The National Whistleblower Center asks citizens to reach out to their elected officials. They want a complete investigation into Barnett’s safety concerns. Robert Turkewitz, an attorney, has called on Congress to create stronger protection laws for whistleblowers in aerospace.

The AIR21 Whistleblower Protection Program makes it illegal to discriminate against employees who report safety violations at air carriers. Workers just need to file complaints within 90 days if they face retaliation. This retaliation can show up as firing, demoting, harassing, or other subtle forms of discrimination.

Conclusion

The American aerospace industry faces a disturbing reality about aviation safety oversight and whistleblower protection. The deaths of Joshua Dean and John Barnett, along with proven manufacturing defects at Boeing and Spirit AeroSystems, reveal systemic problems that need immediate action.

Boeing’s 737 Max aircraft shows most important quality control problems, especially when you have documented proof of issues. FAA investigations have exposed several cases where manufacturing standards weren’t met, and whistleblowers who raised safety concerns faced workplace retaliation. These findings forced leadership changes at Boeing, and CEO Dave Calhoun will step down soon.

Safety experts say better whistleblower protection laws could save lives. AIR21 provides basic safeguards, but current rules don’t protect people who risk their careers to keep the public safe. Congress needs to strengthen these protections and rebuild trust in American aviation manufacturing.

The federal investigations must continue to examine both the whistleblower deaths and manufacturing practices until we get the full picture. Our safety depends on proper oversight, honest coverage, and protection for those who stand up in the interests of public safety.

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