Second Boeing Whistleblower Joshua Dean Dies Suddenly at 45 from MRSA Infection

Joshua Dean, a 45-year-old former quality auditor at Boeing supplier Spirit AeroSystems who had raised safety concerns about 737 MAX manufacturing defects, died suddenly after contracting a severe MRSA infection. Dean had been in good health and was known for maintaining a healthy lifestyle, making his rapid deterioration from a common respiratory virus to death in two weeks highly unusual. His death came less than two months after Boeing whistleblower John Barnett was found dead from a gunshot wound during his deposition.

Dean worked as a quality auditor at Spirit AeroSystems’ Wichita, Kansas facility, where the company manufactures fuselages for Boeing aircraft including the 737 MAX. He had filed a formal whistleblower complaint alleging that Spirit AeroSystems ignored manufacturing defects on the MAX and retaliated against him for raising concerns. He was fired in 2023 after flagging quality problems and filed a lawsuit against Spirit claiming wrongful termination for his safety reports.

The timeline of Dean’s illness was alarming: he reported trouble breathing, was hospitalized where he tested positive for influenza B and developed pneumonia, then contracted MRSA (methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus), an antibiotic-resistant bacterial infection. His lungs filled with fluid, he was intubated, suffered a stroke, and despite being airlifted to a hospital in Oklahoma City, died after two weeks in critical condition. His mother wrote on Facebook that her son was “fighting for his life,” unable to comprehend how a healthy 45-year-old could deteriorate so rapidly.

The deaths of two Boeing whistleblowers within two months triggered widespread suspicion and media coverage. While medical professionals noted that MRSA infections can occur in healthy people and can be deadly, the timing raised questions. Dean had posed a significant legal threat to Spirit AeroSystems and Boeing, as his testimony would have supported allegations of systemic quality control failures at the company that manufactured the fuselage where the Alaska Airlines door plug later blew out.

Whether the result of tragic coincidence or something more sinister, Dean’s death created a chilling effect on potential whistleblowers throughout the aerospace industry. Two men who spoke up about Boeing safety problems died suddenly within weeks of each other, both during active legal proceedings. The message to other quality control personnel with knowledge of defects was unmistakable: whistleblowing can be fatal.