Quote:ABoeing whistleblower who warned about manufacturing defects on the 737 Max line of planes before being fired in 2023 died on Tuesday after contracting a fast-spreading infection.

Joshua Dean, 45, reported having trouble breathing a little more than two weeks ago and was taken to the hospital where he developed pneumonia and the antibiotic resistant infection called MRSA, leading to his death, the Seattle Times first reported. The mechanical engineer and former quality auditor at Boeing supplier Spirit Aerosystems, which makes the fuselage of the beleaguered 737 Max, was in good health and was known for living a healthy lifestyle prior to his illness, his aunt told the Times

Quote:Dean is the second Boeing whistleblower to suddenly die this year, following Josh Barnett, 62, who reportedly committed suicide from a "self-inflicted gunshot wound" in March. 

Barnett worked as a quality manager at Boeing for 32 years until he retired in 2017. Just hours before he died, the veteran quality manager was supplying evidence for a whistleblower lawsuit that alleged one in four oxygen masks on Boeing planes could be faulty. Barnett described a litany of issues in testimony before the Department of Labor Administrative Law Judges seeking damages for lost pay, emotional distress, and harassment. He alleged a production first, quality second culture; inexperienced quality managers who “would just wing it;” and pressure to sign off on inspections for parts that weren’t completed in order to keep the assembly line moving. 

Quote:Even as the unexpected deaths of two whistleblowers who went public with concerns about the company's practices have made headlines across the country, 10 more whistleblowers are waiting in the wings, according to a New York Post report.