Second whistleblower linked to Boeing has died

[Stevicus]

Spirit AeroSystems Whistleblower Dies After Sudden Infection

Joshua Dean is the second Boeing-linked whistleblower to have died in the last two months.

time.com

The first whistle blower died in March, from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound. The second whistle blower, 45 years old, died of an infection which spread quickly, although before he was described as fit and healthy.

Dean, who was 45 and lived in Wichita, Kan., was in good health before he began to experience trouble breathing about two weeks ago and went to a hospital, according to the Seattle Times, which first reported on his death. Dean’s deterioration from that point, his aunt told the newspaper, was “brutal” and “heartbreaking.”

According to a series of public social media posts by Dean’s family, by April 21, he was in “very critical condition.” Dean tested positive for influenza B and MRSA, a difficult-to-treat bacterial infection, and developed pneumonia. He was intubated and put on dialysis as well as airlifted to another hospital to be put on an ECMO machine, a form of cardiac and respiratory life support. A CT scan showed that he had also suffered a stroke. Doctors were considering amputating his hands and feet, which had turned black from lack of oxygen.

“It is known at Spirit that if you make too much noise and cause too much trouble, you will be moved,” Dean told the Wall Street Journal in January. “It doesn’t mean you completely disregard stuff, but they don’t want you to find everything and write it up.”

Dean was fired by Spirit in April 2023, ostensibly over a separate issue he failed to identify as an internal inspector. Months later, he filed a complaint to the Federal Aviation Administration, alleging that he was made a scapegoat while Spirit did nothing to inform regulators and the public of the concerns he had flagged.

Apparently, the two deaths occurring within a short period has sparked conspiracy theories on social media.

When asked about his two clients’ recent deaths, which have sparked conspiracy theories on social media, Knowles told TIME: “I do not want to speculate, and I would like to see the evidence from the investigating authorities.” But, he adds, “what society does not need is people in fear to speak up.”

Boeing has been facing a good deal of scrutiny and criticism lately, as well as Spirit Aero Systems facing a shareholders' lawsuit due to allegedly concealing their production issues.

After a high-profile incident in January in which a plug door on a Boeing 737 MAX 9 blew off during an Alaska Airlines flight, Dean’s former colleague Lance Thompson publicly backed Dean’s claims to the Seattle Times, saying that production deadlines were prioritized over safety at Spirit’s Wichita plant and that managers encouraged workers to hide defects. An audit by the FAA into Boeing and Spirit found in March that both companies failed to comply with quality-control requirements.

I don't know what's going on at Boeing these days, but with these aircraft incidents, reports of employees being encouraged to hide defects, and the unexpected, untimely deaths of two whistleblowers in as many months, it makes one wonder.

If I have to go somewhere by air, I'll make sure that it's not on a Boeing aircraft.

 

[Jayhawker Soule]

Apparently, the two deaths occurring within a short period has sparked conspiracy theories on social media.

Gee, I wonder who would spread such a thing.

 

[Jayhawker Soule]

FWIW ...

Parsons said Dean became ill and went to the hospital because he was having trouble breathing just over two weeks ago. He was intubated and developed pneumonia and then a serious bacterial infection, MRSA.

His condition deteriorated rapidly, and he was airlifted from Wichita to a hospital in Oklahoma City, Parsons said. There he was put on an ECMO machine, which circulates and oxygenates a patient’s blood outside the body, taking over heart and lung function when a patient’s organs don’t work on their own.

His mother posted a message Friday on Facebook relating all those details and saying that Dean was “fighting for his life.”
He was heavily sedated and put on dialysis. A CT scan indicated he had suffered a stroke, his mom’s post said.

By the end, doctors were considering amputating both hands and both feet. “It was brutal what he went through,” Parsons said. “Heartbreaking.” [source]