Another BOEING Whistleblower DIES; Joshua Dean, 44, 2nd Dead In 2 Month
Summary
TLDRA Boeing whistleblower, Joshua Dean, who filed complaints alleging manufacturing defects on the 737 Max and misconduct by senior quality management, has died suddenly from a fast-spreading infection at the age of 45. This follows the death of another whistleblower in recent months, raising concerns over increased scrutiny of the company. Journalist Corey Doo reports on a non-union shop in South Carolina where defective parts from the 787 Dreamliner were secretly installed on operating aircraft. Lawmakers are advancing a bill that could undermine the Biden administration's promise of automatic refunds for canceled or delayed flights, a move that could be influenced by the airline industry's lobbying efforts. The situation highlights the potential dangers of corporate capture in the airline industry, the lack of consumer choice, and the need for stricter liability standards to ensure safety and accountability.
Takeaways
- π° A Boeing whistleblower, Joshua Dean, who alleged manufacturing defects on the 737 Max, has died from a fast-spreading infection at the age of 45.
- π« This is the second whistleblower from Boeing to pass away in two months, raising concerns over increased scrutiny on the company.
- π Dean had filed a complaint with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), alleging serious misconduct by senior quality management on the 737 production line.
- π€« After being laid off, Dean also claimed that his termination was in retaliation for raising concerns about the company's manufacturing practices.
- π« Journalist Corey Doo reported on defective parts in a non-union shop where the 787 Dreamliner is manufactured, suggesting that some were secretly installed on operating aircraft.
- πΈ Lawmakers have advanced a bill that could undermine President Biden's promise of automatic refunds for canceled or delayed flights, affecting consumer rights.
- ποΈ The lawmakers advancing this legislation are among the top six Congressional recipients of campaign cash from the airline industry.
- π There are allegations that the culture within Boeing shifted towards prioritizing financial motives over safety and quality, especially after its merger with McDonnell Douglas.
- βοΈ The current system may not sufficiently penalize companies to deter them from cutting corners on safety, as the value of human life in legal terms is often subjective and lower than the cost of changing behavior.
- π The whistleblower, John Barnett (referred to as 'Swampy'), had raised red flags about Boeing's practices but faced pushback, was fired, and was later found dead in what was alleged to be suicide.
- π€ The transcript raises questions about the lack of consumer choice, monopolistic practices in the airline industry, and the influence of corporate lobbying on regulatory policy.
Q & A
What is the significance of the death of the Boeing whistleblower, Joshua Dean?
-Joshua Dean's death is significant because he was a whistleblower who alleged serious manufacturing defects and misconduct in the production of the 737 Max by Spirit leadership. His death raises concerns about the safety and integrity of the aircraft manufacturing process and the treatment of whistleblowers in the industry.
What was the nature of the complaint filed by Joshua Dean with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA)?
-Joshua Dean filed a complaint with the FAA alleging serious and gross misconduct by senior quality management of the 737 production line, indicating a lack of adherence to safety and quality standards.
Why did Joshua Dean file a complaint with the Department of Labor?
-Dean believed that his termination from Spirit Aerosystems was a form of retaliation for raising concerns about the company's manufacturing practices, which led him to file a complaint with the Department of Labor.
What is the issue with the 787 Dreamliner manufactured in Charleston, South Carolina?
-There are allegations that a non-union shop in Charleston, where the 787 Dreamliner is manufactured, had a cage full of defective parts that were secretly pulled and installed on operating aircraft, raising serious safety concerns.
What is the proposed legislation that could undermine Biden's promise of automatic refunds on canceled or delayed flights?
-The proposed legislation, advanced by lawmakers who oversee aviation policy, could potentially reimpose the previous cumbersome process for passengers to request refunds, undermining the new rule announced by the Biden Administration that promised automatic refunds.
Which lawmakers are involved in advancing the legislation that could affect airline refund policies?
-The lawmakers involved are Republican Senator Ted Cruz, Democratic Senator Maria Cantwell, Democratic Representative Rick Larsen, and Republican Representative Sam Graves, all of whom are among the top recipients of campaign contributions from the airline industry.
What was the cultural shift that occurred when Boeing merged with McDonald Douglas?
-The merger led to a significant cultural shift within Boeing, where the company moved from a focus on high-quality engineering and safety to a profit-driven approach, prioritizing financial motives over quality and safety.
How did the new Boeing culture affect the company's quality inspections?
-The new culture led to Boeing convincing the government to allow the company to conduct its own quality inspections, which resulted in Boeing essentially checking its own work, increasing the potential for oversights and safety violations.
What was the role of John Barnett, the previous whistleblower?
-John Barnett, also known as 'Swampy,' was part of Boeing's old guard and was responsible for conducting quality checks. He raised red flags about the use of defective parts, faced pushback, was fired, and was later found dead under circumstances that suggest he may have taken his own life.
How does the lack of competition in the market affect the airline industry?
-The lack of competition, with Boeing being the last American plane manufacturer, limits consumer choice and can lead to a monopoly where companies are not incentivized to prioritize safety and quality due to the absence of market competition.
What are the implications of the courts not penalizing companies sufficiently for safety violations?
-If courts do not impose penalties that are significant enough to outweigh the costs of safety violations, companies may continue to cut corners and prioritize profits over safety, leading to a disregard for human life and well-being.
Why is it difficult to hold companies accountable for safety violations in the airline industry?
-It is challenging to hold companies accountable due to the difficulty in proving liability and causation, especially in cases where the consequences, such as health issues, may not manifest until years after the incident.
Outlines
π¨ Boeing Whistleblower's Death and Manufacturing Concerns
The first paragraph discusses the death of Joshua Dean, a Boeing whistleblower who had previously alleged that there were serious manufacturing defects on the 737 Max and that Spirit leadership had ignored these issues. Dean, a quality auditor at Spirit AeroSystems, died from a fast-spreading infection at the age of 45. He had filed complaints with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the Department of Labor, alleging misconduct and retaliation, respectively. The paragraph also touches on allegations of defective parts being used in aircraft production, as reported by Corey Doo, and the potential impact on flight safety. Additionally, it mentions a bill that could affect the refund policy for canceled or delayed flights, which could undermine a recent promise by the Biden Administration to streamline the refund process for passengers.
π« The Consequences of Boeing's Shift in Culture and Accountability
The second paragraph delves into the implications of Boeing's cultural shift following its merger with McDonnell Douglas in the late 90s, which led to a focus on financial motives over safety and quality. It discusses the case of John Barnett, another whistleblower who was allegedly part of the 'Old Guard' at Boeing and faced pushback for raising safety concerns. The paragraph highlights the issue of defective parts being used in aircraft, despite being marked for discarding, and the potential risks this poses to flight safety. It also addresses the broader topic of corporate liability and the lack of consumer choice due to Boeing's monopoly as the last American plane manufacturer. The discussion extends to the role of government in regulating the industry and the influence of corporate lobbying on legislation, as well as the difficulty in assigning a monetary value to human life in the context of legal penalties for corporate negligence.
Mindmap
Keywords
π‘Boeing whistleblower
π‘Spirit AeroSystems
π‘Federal Aviation Administration (FAA)
π‘Manufacturing defects
π‘Department of Labor
π‘787 Dreamliner
π‘
π‘Legislation
π‘Campaign cash
π‘Corporate corruption
π‘Liability protection
π‘Monopoly
Highlights
A Boeing whistleblower who alleged manufacturing defects on the 737 Max has suddenly died. This is the second Boeing whistleblower to have died in the last two months.
Joshua Dean, a quality auditor at supplier Spirit AeroSystems, died at just 45 years old from a fast-spreading infection.
Dean had previously filed a complaint with the FAA alleging serious misconduct by senior quality management of the 737 production line.
Dean was laid off last year and filed a complaint with the Department of Labor alleging retaliation for raising concerns about the company's manufacturing plant.
Journalist Corey Doo reports that in a non-union shop in South Carolina where the 787 Dreamliner is manufactured, there's a cage full of defective parts that have been pulled from production.
Hundreds of those parts were secretly pulled from that cage and installed on operating aircraft.
Lawmakers have advanced a bill that could undermine President Biden's promise of automatic refunds on canceled or delayed flights.
The Biden administration announced a new rule last week promising automatic refunds if airlines cancel or significantly delay flights.
Four members of Congress who oversee aviation policy have started advancing legislation that could potentially reimpose the cumbersome refund process on passengers.
These lawmakers are among the six largest Congressional recipients of campaign cash from the airline industry in the current election cycle.
Boeing's culture shifted radically when it merged with McDonnell Douglas in the late 90s, becoming more financially motivated at the expense of safety and quality.
The new Boeing convinced the government to let it do its own quality inspections, rather than having them outsourced to the FAA.
This culture led to Boeing employees cheating on quality inspections, with the last whistleblower, John Barnett, being fired for raising red flags.
The parts that were discarded and had big permanent red marks ended up integrated into planes currently in the sky.
There is no real market efficiency when assessing the value of a life, with courts often not penalizing companies sufficiently to change behavior.
Stricter liability standards are needed as it's difficult to prove liability and causation, and many companies get off the hook.
Boeing is the last American plane manufacturer, creating a monopoly and eliminating consumer choice.
The government is heavily entangled with Boeing, relying on it for both commercial and military planes.
Transcripts
a Boeing whistleblower who alleged
Spirit leadership had ignored
manufacturing defects on the 737 Max has
suddenly died this is the second Boeing
whistleblower to have died in the last
two months as the company has come under
increased scrutiny The Seattle Times
first reported that Joshua Dean a
quality auditor at supplier Spirit Aeros
systems died Tuesday at just 45 years
old from a fast spread infection Dean
had previously filed a complaint with
the Federal Aviation Administration
alleging there was quote serious and
gross misconduct by senior quality
management of the 737 production line
Dean was laid off last year and filed a
complaint with the Department of Labor
alleging that his termination was
retaliation for raising concerns about
the company's manufacturing plant the
news comes as journalist and activist
Corey Doo reports that in a non-union
shop in Charleston South Carolina where
going 787 Dreamliner is manufactured
there's a cage full of defective parts
that have been pulled from production
because they are not airworthy drro
reports that hundreds of those parts
were secretly pulled from that cage and
installed on operating aircraft and
other airline news lawmakers Advanced a
bill that could undermine Biden's
promise of automatic refunds on canceled
or delayed flights according to new
reporting by the lever for context the
Biden Administration announced a new
rule last week the promise if Airlines
cancel or significantly delay flights
passengers will automatically be given
their money back without having to go
through the cumbersome process of
requesting it now just days later though
four members of Congress Who oversee
Aviation policy started advancing
legislation that could potentially
reimpose the cumbersome process on
Passengers The Catch these lawmakers for
the six largest Congressional recipients
of campaign cash from the airline
industry in the current election cycle o
lever the lever names of the lawmakers
Republican senator Ted Cruz Democratic
senator Maria canwell Democratic
representative Rick Larsson and
Republican representative Sam Graves a
bipartisan effort there as always look
exactly the news that Biden had managed
to do something that was just good news
for consumers not having us be hamstrung
by corporations and having to jump
through all these hoops to get
reimbursed for when the airline messes
up and causes some delay in our flight
plans was the kind of frankly basic
populist program that I think could
really help a candidate who wasn't quite
as mired in the mck as Joe Biden is
generate some positive Goodwill in the
public now it seems like that's not even
going to happen specifically because of
the lobbying efforts of the airline
industry capturing enough members of
Congress to try to overturn this basic
Common Sense sort of a rule what do you
make about the death of yet
another whistleblower type person um
frustrated former employee obviously
losing your job is a is a difficult um
experience that can exacerbate your you
know bad Health outcome something like
that so maybe it's just a coincidence
but obviously we talked about the um
serious to many uh people circumstances
of the death of the other whistleblower
who uh believed to have killed himself
yes so and this is what Cory do was
writing about and I strongly encourage
people to read this entire article so
the the allegation here is that there
was a cage of parts that had been marked
as defective they the when when parts
are pulled from a plane and put into
this cage they're permanently marked so
there can be absolutely no confusion and
they will not be reintegrated into
Airline shouldn't they just throw those
away what this what this well that's a
really good question what uh Corey uh
runs through in this piece is how the
culture of Boeing shifted radically when
it merged with uh McDonald Douglas in
the late 90s uh was known for its
culture at that Aviation firm of being
extremely um driven by pure Financial
motives whereas Boeing had historically
been known for having really high
quality engineers and making really high
quality planes Donald Douglas o
ownership was very frustrated with it
with this and apparently we're calling
all of these very U knowledgeable and
capable Engineers um you know H hyper
talented a-holes or something like that
and wanted to get rid of them and was
frustrated by the fact that they kept
gumming up their ability to to Simply
use the you know prioritize the profit
motive over safety or quality okay cut
two that you know that that's the that's
the circumstances you're cut to now we
have this big cage of parts that are
supposed to be offloaded forever one of
the things that the new Boeing was
managed to do is to convince the
government that it should do its own
quality inspections not have it
outsourced to the FAA at that point
you're basically in charge of reviewing
your own checking your own work which an
institution like the the new culture of
Boeing in the new culture of Boeing is
obviously going to lead to people
cheating now here's where they messed up
the last whistleblower the one who's
alleged to have killed himself um uh
John Barnett who is nicknamed apparently
was swampy and he's referred to swampy
as swampy throughout uh uh Cory's
piece was one of the people who was was
assigned to do this checking and he was
not corrupt he was part of the Boeing
Old Guard so when he was Raising red
flags about these kinds of things there
was this enormous amount of push back he
was fired and cut to now we know that
he's being uh alleged to have killed
himself in the car but one of the
discoveries was that the parts that were
discarded and had big permanent red
marks of them ended up integrated into
God knows how many air air uh planes
that are currently in the sky right now
that is what's going on at boing this is
a huge bombshell realization and safety
and profits should not necessarily be
intention if the company is not shielded
from liability protection or like you
know in a in a purely Market operating
system if the product the plane whatever
is being delivered
is there's an incentive to have it be
nicer safer better more efficient so
that you want to fly on those planes or
people or the airlines want to buy those
planes or use those planes all all of
that stuff there's a market incentive
but if there's artificial
intervention that prevents uh an an
airline or the manufacturer of the
airplane from that Shields them from the
from the harms associated with having
sold people to a defective product then
you end up which is exactly what happens
in the airline industry that I mean
we're describing the total capture by
people in a regulatory sense in an
accountability sense then you get
distorted incentives and you get well we
can continue making defective planes and
we're not going to suffer any
consequence from it because what can
anyone do about it well corporate
corruption and the corruption of our po
of our politicians is certainly an issue
but the fact that there is no
alternative for the consumer because
it's Monopoly is also a really big
problem Boeing is the last American
plane manufacturer there's nowhere else
to go um and the inment of Boeing and
the government is so complete that you
do get the situation where of course
you're going they're very rich they're
very powerful they can buy off
politicians but also the government has
entangled itself in an investment and
Boeing providing it with a much needed
resource not just commercial planes but
military planes as well so there's a lot
going on here and I think people should
be raising questions about why it is
that these mergers were all owed to
happen to completely diminish the
ability for consumers to have real
Choice here um but moreover to your
point about um if the if the airline
companies were forced to internalize
their cost then they would be
incentivized to be Sav it's a good point
but the problem is that there is no
actual efficiency in the market when you
are making assessments about what the
value of a life is that's incredibly
subjected and what ends up happening is
courts don't ever penalize companies
sufficiently to make it not simply worth
their while to let people die and then
recoup you're not going to get a court
saying a human life is worth however
many billions of dollars it would take
for one of these airline companies to
actually change its Behavior I mean the
courts have said it's worth what 14
million or something like that that's
the number people I mean it depends on
they base it on your earning potential
and things like that so it varies from
person to person it's a cruel thing to
have to estimate but one of the problems
is and why some um law and economics
folks uh like a professor that I had in
fact in law school push for stricter
liability standards is because one it's
difficult often times to prove liability
and cause causation in the first place
and many people get off the hook that
way that's what happens with a lot of
these environmental cases right look at
East Palestine if someone gets cancer 10
years from now how can they really prove
that it's from something that happened
as opposed to the fact that cancer just
happens to folks sometimes yeah um so
that's a little different than the door
breaking off the plane and getting
sucked out of it sure but also there's
Al you know they can say I I did the
review I checked I followed all of the
rules and in terms of the now internal
Boeing checks that they're obliged to do
for safety so we if we if you follow the
rules this is part of what the
perniciousness around some of these hi
programs are they're not there to
actually create equality in the
workplace they're there to have
something that the companies can say I
checked this list off so you can't say I
was actually being discriminatory I did
everything I was supposed to do under
the law um so yeah a lot a lot of red
flags going off here I'm really grateful
for the lever to be continuing to cover
this and including specifically the um
Congressional corruption angle because
the names of the people that are
directly involved in doing something
like unwinding a really good finally
good policy from Joe Biden make it
easier for you to be reimbursed when you
have a flight canceled on you um they
can't even let us have the good small
things more Rising right after this
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