The aviation industry is reeling from recent tragedies and allegations of misconduct. Joshua Dean, a former quality auditor at Boeing supplier Spirit AeroSystems, has tragically passed away after raising serious concerns. This comes shortly after another whistleblower, John Barnett, was found dead. Both had highlighted safety issues within Boeing’s operations, particularly concerning the 737 Max and 787 Dreamliner models.
Joshua Dean, a former quality auditor at Boeing supplier Spirit AeroSystems, has tragically passed away after contracting a sudden illness. His death occurred less than two months after another Boeing whistleblower, John Barnett, was found dead with a gunshot wound that authorities believe was self-inflicted.
Whistleblower Concerns
Joshua Dean had filed a complaint with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) alleging “serious and gross misconduct by senior quality management of the 737 production line” at Spirit AeroSystems. His concerns were related to safety issues in the aviation manufacturing industry, particularly concerning the Boeing 737 Max. This model had been involved in fatal crashes in 2018 and 2019, resulting in the loss of 346 lives. John Barnett, who spent almost three decades at Boeing, had also raised safety and quality concerns. He reported issues related to the production of the Boeing 787 Dreamliner.
FAA Investigation in Boeing
Though the official statement from FAA is silent about the whistleblowing allegations, it appears to have stemmed from the same case.
The US Federal Aviation Administration said on Monday it has opened an investigation into the Boeing 787 Dreamliner, after the plane maker said some employees had committed “misconduct” by claiming some tests had been completed.
The agency said it is investigating whether Aviation Giant completed the inspections to confirm adequate bonding and grounding where the wings join the fuselage on some 787 Dreamliner planes, “and whether company employees may have falsified aircraft records”. Boeing is reinspecting all 787 aircraft still in the production process and must formulate a plan to address the in-service fleet.
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Boeing’s Response
The company provided an April 29 email from Scott Stocker, who leads the company’s 787 programme, to employees in South Carolina where the planes are assembled. In the email, Mr Stocker said that an employee saw what appeared to be an irregularity in a 787 conformance test. The email said that after receiving the report, “we quickly reviewed the matter and learnt that several people had been violating company policies by not performing a required test, but recording the work as having been completed”. Mr Stocker said Boeing promptly told the FAA “about what we learnt and are taking swift and serious corrective action with” employees.
Industry Impact
In April company expects a slower increase in the production rate and deliveries of its 787 Dreamliner wide-body jets as the company deals with supplier shortages “on a few key parts”. A Boeing quality engineer recently criticised some of the manufacturing practices on the 787 and 777 wide-body programmes and testified last month before Congress.
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Ongoing Investigations
The Justice Department is conducting a criminal investigation into a January 5 mid-air emergency of a 737 Max 9. The National Transport Safety Board has said four key bolts appeared to be missing from the plane that had been delivered by the aviation giant months earlier. Boeing has said it believes required documents detailing the removal of the bolts were never created.
