Josh Dean, Another Boeing Whistleblower, Has Died And Many On Social Media Suspect Foul Play

Joshua Dean, a 45-year-old Boeing whistleblower amid the airline company's safety concern controversies, has died. It is the second time in two months that a Boeing whistleblower has prematurely and unexpectedly died, following the death of John Barnett in March due to what was reported as a "self-inflicted" wound.

Dean was a former quality auditor at Boeing supplier Spirit AeroSystems and had flagged safety concerns about improperly drilled bulkhead holes in 737 planes in October 2022. He alleged the company swept it under the rug until it became public knowledge in August 2023.

In January 2024, Dean told the Wall Street Journal that at Spirit AeroSystems, it was "known" that if you "made too much noise," you'd be fired.

"They don’t want you to find everything and write it up," he said.

In April 2023, Dean was fired from Spirit for a separate issue, though he filed a wrongful termination complaint alleging that Spirit had fired him after ignoring the safety issues he had flagged. The complaint remained unresolved at the time of his death.

Dean was said to be in good health when on April 21st, he tested positive for influenza B and MRSA, then developed pneumonia. He passed away nine days later.

Joshua Dean's death led to intensified suspicion, conspiracy theories and memes on social media that Boeing was ordering "hits" on its whistleblowers. The theory first grew prevalent following John Barnett's death, who explicitly told family members "not to believe" reports that he had killed himself before he was found dead due to a reportedly self-inflicted wound in March.

Brian Knowles, the lawyer of both Dean and Barnett, told Time Magazine that he "does not want to speculate" on the nature of his clients' deaths, but did encourage an investigation, adding, "What society does not need is people in fear to speak up."