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Boeing accused of building ‘flying coffins’
US lawmakers told Boeing it put profits before lives when it rushed to get clearance for its 737 MAX 8 aircraft, which suffered two fatal crashes, killing 346 people, before being grounded earlier this year.
Questioning Boeing chief executive Dennis Muilenburg, the US Senate Commerce Committee said the aircraft manufacturer had engaged ‘in a pattern of deliberate concealment’ to get FAA approval for the MAX jet.
Lawmakers said Boeing was aware of problems with the aircraft’s automated control system MCAS, which has since been identified as a factor in both the Lion Air and Ethiopian Airlines crashes.
Senator Roger Wicker said messages between Boeing staff during certification that raised issues in the MCAS test system betrayed ‘a disturbing level of casualness and flippancy’.
Senator Richard Blumenthal said Boeing had rushed the approval process and engaged in a ‘pattern of deliberate concealment’.
He suggested that pilots had been misled and Boeing had, in effect, designed a ‘flying coffin’.
Muilenburg admitted the firm had made ‘mistakes’. He told the committee: "We have learned from both accidents and identified changes that need to be made," he said.
Senators also criticised the regulatory process, saying there was excessive ‘cosiness’ between Boeing and safety officials at the FAA.
Blumenthal described the US certification process as ‘absolutely broken’.
Muilenburg said the aircraft manufacturer supported ‘strong oversight’ but declined to support increasing the authority of the FAA.
Since the grounding of the 737 MAX aircraft in March, Boeing has been working on a software fix. It has also overhauled its review procedures.
But senators said the continued delays in re-certification cast serious doubt on the initial approval.
They blamed Boeing for not sharing more information about the MCAS system with regulators and pilots.
Senator Maria Cantwell said the crashes should spur broader scrutiny of automated systems, which are becoming more common – not just in aircraft but also in cars and other forms of transport.
Linsey McNeill
Editor Linsey McNeill has been writing about travel for more than three decades. Bylines include The Times, Telegraph, Observer, Guardian and Which? plus the South China Morning Post. She also shares insider tips on thetraveljournalist.co.uk
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