'SUSPICIOUS' DEATH OF SECOND BOEING WHISTLEBLOWER SPARKS BUZZ AMID 737 MAX SAFETY ROW

Boeing whistleblower Josh Dean passed away on Thursday after a ‘sudden’ illness that has sparked conspiracy theories and murder allegations. His death comes mere weeks after fellow whistleblower John Barnett was found dead from a "self-inflicted" wound. Both individuals had been sharing evidence in a whistleblower lawsuit against Boeing at the time of their demise. 

Dean was hospitalized after developing breathing problems a little more than two weeks earlier, and struggled with pneumonia and MRSA (a serious bacterial infection). The former quality auditor at a Boeing Co. supplier had raised concerns about the safety of the 737 Max jet and recently deposed in a Spirit shareholder lawsuit. He had also filed a complaint with the Federal Aviation Administration alleging “serious and gross misconduct by senior quality management of the 737 production line” at Spirit.

Reports quoting his mother Virginia Green indicate that the family has sought an autopsy to determine exactly what killed Dean.

"This was his first time ever in a hospital," she said. “He didn't even have a doctor because he never was sick…We're not sure what he died of. We know that he had a bunch of viruses. But you know, we don't know if somebody did something to him, or did he just get real sick,” she told NPR.

The development has sparked debate across social media platforms with many TikTok and X users tagging it as a ‘suspicious’ turn of events. Others went a step further, accusing the aerospace company of “sending a chilling message” to those choosing to ‘speak out’.

“I’m not the conspiracy type but the odds of two Boeing whistle blowers, represented by the same law firm, dying within two months of each other seem pretty slim to me,” wrote one X user.

“Being a Boeing whistleblower is like being a character in the movie Final Destination. He was 45, had been in good health and was noted for having a healthy lifestyle. Josh died Tuesday morning after a struggle with a sudden, fast-spreading infection,” tweeted another.

“I don’t wish to be alarmist but Boeing is murdering whistleblowers and getting away with it,” accused a third.

Boeing’s safety record and workplace culture is under intense scrutiny after a string of high-profile quality-control problems, including an almost catastrophic midair blowout earlier this year. The incident on an Alaska Airlines flight saw the FAA order a temporary grounding of 171 planes for inspection, while carriers across the globe briefly took their Max 9’s out of service. No one was injured and the plane landed safely.

The 737 Max has a troubled history. The jet was grounded by regulators worldwide after deadly crashes in Indonesia and Ethiopia in 2018 and 2019, which killed the hundreds of passengers on board. A 20-month span followed during which lawmakers and others denounced Boeing’s safety culture, leading to billions of dollars in lost sales and other costs. The model’s flight prohibition order was lifted in November 2020 in the US after Boeing made a series of software upgrades and training changes. Other nations then variously followed.

(With inputs from agencies)

2024-05-03T17:42:36Z dg43tfdfdgfd