Dear MoveOn member,
Boeing's aircraft have resulted in more than 6,000 aviation accidents and incidents worldwide. Out of those 6,000, 415 were fatal accidents, and more than 9,000 people have died as a result of Boeing's faulty aircraft.1 And in just the last two months, Joshua Dean and John Barnett, two whistleblowers who flagged major safety concerns with Boeing aircraft and testified against them in a lawsuit, have suddenly died.2 These deaths cannot go without an investigation.
Barnett worked at Boeing for nearly 30 years and reported concerns that he said could lead to "catastrophic" damage to management, who he says ignored his complaints and moved him to another part of the plant.3 Dean also raised concerns to management who then pressured Dean and his coworkers to downplay the defects that they found.4
And last month, Sam Salehpour, another whistleblower, told members of Congress that employees like Dean, Barnett, and himself who sound the alarm on safety concerns are "ignored, marginalized, threatened, sidelined and worse."5 Salehpour even shared that he feared "physical violence" after coming forward.6 It is completely unacceptable to create a culture of intimidation. There are lives on the line, and now Joshua Dean and John Barnett are dead.
In the last three months, a Boeing plane door plug exploded on an Alaska Airlines flight; a Boeing plane suddenly nosedived mid-flight, injuring 50 people on a Latam Airlines flight; and a United Airlines flight was forced to make an emergency landing when a wheel fell off the Boeing plane, damaging and crushing several cars in San Francisco.7,8,9 And in 2018 and 2019, there were two Boeing crashes that resulted in the death of more than 340 people.10
There are workers working tirelessly to inspect these Boeing planes to ensure they're safe to fly, but then workers like Dean are ignored, intimidated into not reporting defects, told to falsify records, and retaliated against for speaking out so that planes can get out of the factory faster.11,12 It's wrong.
One of John Barnett's friends asked him if he was scared and he said, "No, I ain't scared, but if anything happens to me, it's not suicide."13 And Joshua Dean's family said Joshua was very healthy and it was his first time in the hospital. Joshua Dean's doctor says he’s never seen anything like what happened to Joshua in his life.14
Boeing CEO Dave Calhoun stepped down at the end of March, not too unlike his predecessor, Dennis Muilenburg, who was fired following the two previous fatal plane crashes. Muilenburg was accused of creating a culture that put profits ahead of safety, notably telling Congress, "We don't 'sell' safety; that's not our business model."15,16
Over the years, Boeing has continued gaining a monopoly when it comes to the aviation industry. CEO David Calhoun raked in $22.5 million from 2022 profits, and last year the company made $18 BILLION in revenue.17,18 Yet journalists, investigators, and Boeing employees have said that Boeing has cut corners and prioritized cost-cutting over safety and employee concerns.19,20 The dangerous trend of Boeing aircraft accidents is alarming.
The Federal Aviation Administration is already investigating whistleblower claims that Boeing knew of flaws and defects and covered them up to speed up production. And now, the Department of Justice can and must investigate the deaths of whistleblowers John Barnett and Joshua Dean.
Thanks for all you do.
–Jensine, Aliya, Erica, Alexis, and the rest of the team
Sources:
1. "Boeing plane crash," Wisner Baum, accessed May 3, 2024
https://act.moveon.org/go/188637?t=8&akid=387721%2E40999114%2EK8Xe5X
2. "Second Boeing whistleblower dies after short illness," The Guardian, May 2, 2024
https://act.moveon.org/go/191311?t=10&akid=387721%2E40999114%2EK8Xe5X
3. Ibid.
4. "Another Boeing-Linked Whistleblower Has Died: What to Know About Josh Dean and Spirit Aero," Time, May 2, 2024
https://act.moveon.org/go/191312?t=12&akid=387721%2E40999114%2EK8Xe5X
5. "Second Boeing whistleblower dies after short illness," The Guardian, May 2, 2024
https://act.moveon.org/go/191311?t=14&akid=387721%2E40999114%2EK8Xe5X
6. Ibid.
7. "FAA Investigating Boeing After Door Panel Falls Off Midflight," HuffPost, January 11, 2024
https://act.moveon.org/go/191313?t=16&akid=387721%2E40999114%2EK8Xe5X
8. "A Boeing passenger jet's nose wheel fell off just before takeoff," NBC News, January 24, 2024
https://act.moveon.org/go/188639?t=18&akid=387721%2E40999114%2EK8Xe5X
9. "Wheel falls off United Airlines Boeing 777 and crushes cars in San Francisco," The Independent, March 8, 2024
https://act.moveon.org/go/188640?t=20&akid=387721%2E40999114%2EK8Xe5X
10. "The Scariest Part About the Boeing 737 Max 9 Blowout," The New York Times, January 10, 2024
https://act.moveon.org/go/186046?t=22&akid=387721%2E40999114%2EK8Xe5X
11. "Profit Over Safety: Boeing Supplier Ignored Safety Warnings Before Jet Door Blowout, The Lever Reports," Democracy Now, January 9, 2024
https://act.moveon.org/go/188644?t=24&akid=387721%2E40999114%2EK8Xe5X
12. "Whistleblower Joshua Dean, who raised concerns about Boeing jets, dies at 45," NPR, May 2, 2024
https://act.moveon.org/go/191314?t=26&akid=387721%2E40999114%2EK8Xe5X
13. "'If anything happens, it's not suicide': Boeing whistleblower's prediction before death," ABC 4 News, March 14, 2024
https://act.moveon.org/go/191315?t=28&akid=387721%2E40999114%2EK8Xe5X
14. "Whistleblower Joshua Dean, who raised concerns about Boeing jets, dies at 45," NPR, May 2, 2024
https://act.moveon.org/go/191314?t=30&akid=387721%2E40999114%2EK8Xe5X
15. "Boeing's board faces scrutiny yet again: 'It’s a bad board, and it has been a bad board for a long time’" Fortune, January 16, 2024
https://act.moveon.org/go/186048?t=32&akid=387721%2E40999114%2EK8Xe5X
16. "'Flying coffins': senators rip Boeing chief over Max jet crashes that killed 346," The Guardian, October 29, 2019
https://act.moveon.org/go/186148?t=34&akid=387721%2E40999114%2EK8Xe5X
17. "Boeing CEO loses $7M bonus, keeps $22.5 million compensation," The Hill, March 3, 2023
https://act.moveon.org/go/186043?t=36&akid=387721%2E40999114%2EK8Xe5X
18. "Boeing cuts 737 Max delivery forecast as production issues dent third-quarter results," CNBC, October 26, 2023
https://act.moveon.org/go/186044?t=38&akid=387721%2E40999114%2EK8Xe5X
19. "EXCLUSIVE: Boeing worker claims company has been cutting corners at Everett plant," Kiro 7, February 9, 2024
https://act.moveon.org/go/188645?t=40&akid=387721%2E40999114%2EK8Xe5X
20. "How to think about Boeing's recent safety issues," Vox, March 15, 2024
https://act.moveon.org/go/188646?t=42&akid=387721%2E40999114%2EK8Xe5X
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