Lion Air Flight 610 crashed shortly after take-off from Jakarta, killing all 189 passengers in October 2018. Almost five months later, in March 2019, Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302 crashed six minutes after departing from Addis Ababa heading for Nairobi, killing all 157 individuals aboard. These flights were operated using the Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircrafts.
Background for Boeing Crashes
Investigations revealed that the flight control system known as MCAS, which pilots had not been sufficiently trained on, had repeatedly forced the planes’ noses downward due to faulty sensor readings.
Whistleblowers revealed that the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration, (FAA), had appointed large portions of the aircraft certification process to Boeing, raising alarm bells about the adequacy of FAA’s oversight.
Curtis Ewbank a former Boeing engineer who specialised in cockpit systems, filed an internal ethics complaint due to Boeing neglecting a safety system concern, during the 737 MAX 8 design. He claimed management at Boeing was more concerned with costs over quality and safety. Ewbank left Boeing in 2015 partly due to safety issues. He later addressed the U.S. Senate committee, warning them of systemic issues that needed to be addressed. Additionally, a former senior manager at Boeing, Edward Pierson, also raised these concerns shortly before the fatal crashes, reporting a culture of overworking. Pierson said he “witnessed a factory in chaos” when testifying before Congress in 2019.
Global Grounding
The FAA initially dragged their feet but grounded the 737 MAX 8 aircrafts on March 13, due to international pressure. In total, 387 planes were grounded worldwide.
China was first to act, grounding all of their MAX 8 planes, followed by the European Union, Canada, and others. Both Boeing and the FAA faced backlash over its regulatory oversight and failure to disclose safety issues with the aircraft design. The 737 MAX 8 was only cleared to fly again in late 2020, with new pilot training requirements and updated certification protocols.
Why the U.S Justice System may not Prosecute?
According to Clifford Law Offices, (CLO), the Department of Justice, (DOJ), plans to drop all criminal charges against Boeing. An announcement received shortly after President Trump struck a Boeing jet deal with Qatar Airways.
Clifford Law Offices, which represent the victims’ families, have condemned this decision stating they are ready to stand strong and resist against the proposed case dismissal. The attorneys from CLO criticised the DOJ’s announcement, stating that:
“They simply conveyed their predetermined plan to let Boeing escape meaningful accountability for its deadly deception.”
Let the records reflect that Boeing’s CEO and their attorneys signed a formal statement of guilt before the DOJ announcement. Robert A. Clifford, lead counsel in this ongoing case, stressed that the DOJ’s prearranged conclusion was confusing and unjust, given Boeing’s signed confession of guilt, earlier that morning.
If Boeing avoids accountability, it could set a precedent for large corporations to avoid responsibility, leading other aerospace companies to lower their standards of testing and follow in Boeings footsteps, in order to save costs. In turn this dismissal may undermine public trust and tarnish the integrity of the aviation industry in the public eye.
What do you think about this? Let us know below!
