It was less than 4 years ago that a second Boeing Max 8 aircraft crashed, killing all on board. At that time, it was the second crash of that model in only a few months. The resulting investigation found an issue related to both software and hardware that grounded all similar models. It also led to the termination of the Boeing CEO for failures that occurred during his watch.
Last week another Boeing 737 being flown by Alaska Airlines experienced a near catastrophic incident when a cabin door suddenly decided to make a premature opening during mid-flight.
Boeing's current CEO, David Calhoun, was quoted as follows:
Boeing CEO David Calhoun acknowledged the company’s “mistake” in the wake of the Alaska Airlines incident at a staff-wide “safety meeting” Tuesday. “We’re going to approach this number one acknowledging our mistake,” Calhoun told staff, according to a video of the meeting provided to CNN by Boeing. “We’re going to approach it with 100% and complete transparency every step of the way. We are going to work with the NTSB who is investigating the accident itself to find out what the cause is”
A company source told CNN that Boeing believes “the mistake in question” was introduced in the aircraft’s manufacturing supply chain, however it is not immediately clear if Calhoun identified any specific error during the presentation.
Oops, they did it again!
A mistake is sitting in the wrong seat. A mistake is showing up an hour late for your flight.
A mistake is NOT designing a door that might fly open in flight!!! And while I am on this point, how did Calhoun know that Boeing had made a mistake before the investigation had even begun...
Boeing's problem is not in its engineering, though there may be fault there. Boeing's problem is having created an environment where something like this might happen. Boeing's problem is a lack of accountability. Boeing's problem is a lack of leadership that permeates their boardroom, and which resonates throughout the organization.
Boeing will find and fix the problem on the 737. That's an engineering issue. Boeing itself won't be fixed unless and until they address the systemic problems of leadership that continue to plague their executive branch.
A fish stinks from the head down...
