- A second whistleblower in connection with the safety issues surrounding the manufacturing of Boeing aircraft has died after a sudden illness, the man's family said on Tuesday. Newsweek (LR: 1 CP: 5)
- Joshua Dean, 45, formerly a quality auditor at Boeing supplier Spirit AeroSystems, was among the first to raise concerns about manufacturing defects in 737 MAX planes. He gave testimony to a lawsuit and filed a formal complaint with the Federal Aviation Administration. The Seattle Times
- In April 2023, Dean was fired by Spirit. He proceeded to file a complaint with the Department of Labor alleging that his termination came as a result of his whistleblowing on safety issues. The Seattle Times
- In a series of social media posts, family members said Dean was taken to hospital after having difficulties breathing just over two weeks ago. He is said to have developed pneumonia before also contracting MRSA, a serious bacterial infection. His family said that his health deteriorated rapidly and he also suffered from a stroke before passing away. The Seattle Times
- Dean's death follows that of another whistleblower, John Barnett, 62, who died in Charleston, South Carolina, in March. He was a former Boeing quality control manager and died after what local officers said appeared to be a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Guardian (LR: 2 CP: 5)
- Brian Knowles, on the team of lawyers representing both men, said he did not want to speculate about the timing and circumstances of the deaths, saying "It’s a difficult set of circumstances. Our thoughts now are with John's family and Josh's family." The Seattle Times
Pro-establishment narrative:
- This was a tragic death and sincere condolences go out to Dean's family. However, it would be foolish to speculate about the timing and circumstances of his death without sufficient evidence. There is currently no proof of any foul play.
THE SEATTLE TIMES
Establishment-critical narrative:
- This is now the second death of a whistleblower in connection with this case. Both men were due to provide more evidence of the faulty manufacturing processes and their deaths at this time are deeply suspicious. The circumstances around these deaths need to be fully investigated.
NDTV.COM
Nerd narrative:
- There's a 94% chance that there will be a test flight of a full-scale heavy-lift cargo airship before 2031, according to the Metaculus prediction community.
METACULUS (LR: 3 CP: 3)