Two crashes involving Boeing 737 Max planes in 2018 and 2019 killed 346 people. Now the head of the aircraft manufacturer, Dave Calhoun, has apologized to the families of the victims during a hearing in the US Senate.
“I apologize for the suffering we have caused,” Calhoun told several family members in the room on Tuesday. Boeing places greater emphasis on safety in memory of the victims.
Fatal software bugs
The accidents involving 737 Max 8 aircraft operated by Indonesian Lion Air and Ethiopian Airlines were caused by problems with assistance software. The system, called MCAS, was intended to help pilots control the aircraft in certain situations. In both cases, however, they were surprised by an obvious and incorrect intervention by the software.
Boeing had admitted at the time that the company had not properly informed the US aviation regulator FAA about the extent of pilot training required to operate the software. Calhoun reiterated Tuesday: “MCAS and Boeing are responsible for these crashes.” After the second accident, 737 Max aircraft were grounded for almost two years until changes were made to the system.
The company is under great pressure
The hearing in the Senate Subcommittee on Investigations was called because Boeing is currently under acute pressure to improve quality controls. The reason was a near miss in early January involving an almost new Boeing 737-9 Max aircraft.
Shortly after takeoff, part of the fuselage of the Alaska Airlines flight with more than 170 people on board broke off. The accident investigation agency NTSB assumes that mounting bolts were missing from the broken part. Boeing was unable to provide investigators with documentation of its work on the fragment.
Always accidents
“Alaska was a manufacturing mistake,” Calhoun said Tuesday. But this is also the only case he knows of of the most recent U.S. aviation accidents that have been traced back to production rather than subsequent maintenance, he pointed out. In recent months, Boeing aircraft from various airlines have been in the news. One lost a wheel during takeoff, another landed on the fuselage with a torn flap.
A Boeing whistleblower, among others, recently testified in the subcommittee and accused the company of production defects in the 787 Dreamliner model. Boeing denies the allegations. Calhoun did not comment on individual criticisms, but said not all warnings turned out to be accurate.
Calhoun deletes messages
The manager called reports that a Boeing whistleblower had previously been prosecuted “heartbreaking.” But this was long before its time. Calhoun has been at the top of Boeing since early 2020 and will leave the post at the end of this year. A successor has not yet been presented.
Source: Krone
I am Wallace Jones, an experienced journalist. I specialize in writing for the world section of Today Times Live. With over a decade of experience, I have developed an eye for detail when it comes to reporting on local and global stories. My passion lies in uncovering the truth through my investigative skills and creating thought-provoking content that resonates with readers worldwide.
