Family members said that Joshua Dean, who alleged Spirit AeroSystems fired him after he raised concerns about manufacturing flaws on the Boeing 737 Max, died after a brief illness.

Spirit AeroSystems, a company that was spun out of Boeing in 2005 and currently faces financial woes and an uncertain future, said in a statement: “Our thoughts are with Josh Dean’s family. This sudden loss is stunning news here and for his loved ones.”

A whistleblower who worked for Boeing supplier Spirit AeroSystems died Tuesday.  Joshua Dean, who lived in Wichita, Kansas and was formerly a quality auditor for company, had an infection that came on suddenly and quickly spread,

Joshua Dean, one of the first whistleblowers to allege Spirit AeroSystems execs had ignored manufacturing defects on the 737 MAX, died after a sudden illness.

Joshua Dean died after a short illness and had raised concerns about Boeing aircraft after working as a quality auditor at a supplier to the troubled aerospace giant

The sky is falling — at least on Boeing. A second whistleblower has died under mysterious circumstances, just two months after another one allegedly shot himself in the head — and the attorneys for both men hope their deaths don’t scare away the at least 10 other whistleblowers who want the company to clean up its act.

Joshua Dean has passed away. For years, he had been highlighting wrongdoings in the production of Boeing aeroplanes, placing the company under considerable scrutiny. Dean is the second whistleblower from the company to die this year at the age of 45.

He had voiced safety concerns that he felt were neglected during production of the Boeing 737 MAX. According to various reports, Dean had pointed out problems with improperly drilled holes in certain bulkheads of components used for the 737 Max.

After death of Joshua Dean & John Barnett, their lawyers are concerned about the possibility that around 10 more Boeing whistleblowers may suffer the same fate.