A second Boeing whistleblower has died unexpectedly as the company faces scrutiny over safety failures on its passenger jets.
Joshua Dean, a quality inspector for the Boeing supplier Spirit AeroSystems, died this week after a surprise infection left him in critical condition for days, according to his family.
The cause was Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, an antibiotic-resistant staph infection commonly known as MRSA, his aunt Carol Parsons told the Seattle Times, which first reported the death.
The 44-year-old lost his job in 2023 and filed a retaliation complaint with federal labor officials, alleging that he was only fired for speaking out.
Dean had been deposed in connection with a shareholder lawsuit and had reported dangerous faults in components of Boeing’s 737 MAX plane — a model linked to a number of catastrophes in recent years.
The family shared in a Facebook post Monday that doctors warned them Dean had a "50/50 chance of living."
In describing the agonizing condition, they revealed the infection had "totally" taken over his lungs and asked for prayers. Days before his death, doctors were considering amputating his hands and feet, but he was too weak for surgery.
"Our thoughts and prayers are with Josh and his family," Dean's attorneys, Brian Knowles and Rob Turkewitz, told Fox News Digital on Thursday. "Josh's passing is a loss to the aviation community and the flying public. He possessed tremendous courage to stand up for what he felt was true and right and raised quality and safety issues."
