WASHINGTON: A second Boeing whistleblower and quality inspector for the Boeing supplier Spirit AeroSystems Joshua Dean died due to a sudden infection after reporting safety failures on passenger jets, Sputnik quoted a Fox News report on Thursday.
According to the report, Dean died from Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), a staph infection spread by contact with contaminated items or infected wounds.
The report added that Dean was terminated in 2023 and filed a retaliation complaint, alleging his dismissal was due to reporting dangerous faults in Boeing’s 737 MAX plane components, and was represented by the law firm also handling John Barnett’s case, another whistleblower found dead earlier this year.
ALSO READ: Boeing whistleblower found dead of apparent suicide
In March, Boeing whistleblower John Barnett was found dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound in the state of South Carolina over the weekend. However, lawyers representing the deceased Barnett said that they saw no indication that Barnett was suicidal.
Barnett, who worked at Boeing for over three decades before retiring in 2017, accused the company of cutting corners to get its 787 Dreamliner jets out of production quickly at the North Charleston plant, compromising the safety of the aircraft.
According to Barnett, the emergency oxygen systems on 787 Dreamliners had a failure rate of 25 per cent, meaning that a quarter of 787 Dreamliners were at risk of rapidly losing oxygen and suffocating the passengers if the cabins were suddenly decompressed. A federal investigation confirmed some of Barnett’s allegations.
