Credibility is a peculiar thing. It takes years, sometimes decades to build, and can best lost in an instant. The ongoing 737 MAX sage has already cost Boeing most of its credibility, but somehow Boeing found a way to dig its own grave even deeper…
The mess surrounding the 737 MAX is complex. Some try to pin the blame exclusively on Boeing. Others point to the inexperience of the pilots in Indonesia and Ethiopia as the proximate cause. Many blame regulators for failing to do their job and letting Boeing self-inspect and essentially certify its own new aircraft.
William Langewiesche’s behemoth price for the New York Times Magazine entitled, What really brought down the Boeing 737 Max? is a great read. It’s a long read, but helps to piece the broken pieces of the puzzles together in a fair and non-emotional way that vividly indicates there was more than enough fault to go around. Context is always important.
But graft, corruption, and a horrific safety record in Indonesia or poor training in Ethiopia simply does not excuse a design defect. It cannot. And Boeing has managed to find a way to further exacerbate an already-precarious situation.
The Text Messages
Let’s go back to November 6, 2016. It is four months before the FAA certified the 737 MAX. Rick Ludtke, a former Boeing engineer, is chatting with Mark Forkner, Boeing’s chief technical pilot for the 737 MAX. The following text messages were exchanged as part of a nine-minute conversation:
- “MCAS is now active down to M2. It’s running rampant in the sim on me, at least that’s what Vince thinks is happening.”
- “so I basically lied to the regulators (unknowingly)”
- “I’m levelling off at 4000ft, 230 knots and the plane is trimming itself like craxy, I’m like, WHAT?”
- “granted, I suck at flying, but even this was egregious”
- “they’re all so damn busy, and getting pressure from the program”
- “there are still some real fundamental issues that they claim they’re aware of”
For a background on MCAS, read this.
> Read More: Boeing CEO Says, “I’d Put My Family On 737 MAX “Without Any Hesitation”
As if that was not enough, there is more fodder between the two:
- “nah, I’m locked in my hotel room with an ice cold grey goose, I’ll probably fire off a few dozen inappropriate emails before I call it a night”
- “I’d ask for a job in sales where I can just get paid to drink with customers and lie about how awesome our airplanes are”
Boeing’s Response
Boeing released a statement yesterday about the text messages, seemingly expressing more annoyance than contrition:
It is unfortunate that this document, which was provided early this year to government investigators, couldn’t be released in a manner that would have allowed for meaningful explanation.
You can read the full statement here, which is quite long and tries to defend Boeing’s flight testing protocols while concluding with an apology:
We are deeply saddened and have been humbled by these accidents, and are fully committed to learning from them.
CONCLUSION
The only thing, it seems to me, that is saving Boeing is the lack of competition. Airbus simply cannot meet worldwide demand on its own. Aspiring Russian and Chinese competitors are simply not politically feasible outside their immediate spheres of influence.
To be clear, I don’t think this issue should sink Boeing. Frankly, I’d still step on a 737MAX today with my wife and son in tow without (much) hesitation. But these text messages are absolutely damning to Boeing..there is no better word to describe it.
And as Boeing suddenly faces even more scrutiny in every direction, it has only itself to blame.
image: Boeing
Matt, we only live once and I wouldn’t step onto the 737 MAX. You already outline the stupidity at Boeing in this article. So I am boggled how anyone would get on the 737 MAX after all of the findings and how the Boeing CEO is a royal A$$ho, to say the least. Even when he was interviewed, he said he wouldn’t resign. What nerve!! To top it off, Trump suggested to rename the 737 MAX. These guys are so pathetic, to say the least. It is all about money $$$$!!
I am not stupid and I wouldn’t touch that plane !!!
Software Engineer
Muilenburg and his arrogance should at the very least stand trial for the accidental deaths of 346 lives if not manslaughter. He and the board of boeing would have known the serious safety issues affecting the MAX .I hope the FAA ground the MAX permanently i would avoid flying any airline where there wasecen the remote possibility of flying on a MAX .As soon as airlines realise that passengers won’t fly on them orders will be cancelled, rebranded or not.
I’ve found it odd that everybody’s been talking about that NYTM piece, but I haven’t heard much about Moe Tkacik’s piece in the New Republic which I actually preferred and thought had a much more reasonable standpoint on where the blame actually belongs:
https://newrepublic.com/article/154944/boeing-737-max-investigation-indonesia-lion-air-ethiopian-airlines-managerial-revolution
I’ve always tended to scoff at people who will avoid some sort of conveyance due to a perceived lack of safety caused by a recent disaster. After all, the odds of it happening again are minimal.
However, I’m making an exception for the MAX. It is a poorly designed hodgepodge of features that was (somewhat hastily) designed to make it as cheap as possible and to evade pilot retraining requirements. As such, it’s the worst of all worlds and has shown us a dark side to Boeing that I never imagined. After all this, their credibility is zero with me and yes, I will try my hardest to avoid the MAX.
Disclosure: I’ve actually flown on a MAX (just after WN received it), and survived to tell the story. In fact, it was a fine ride. That said, we didn’t know then what we know now and the deeper you dig into how this happened, the worse it looks for Boeing.
Boeing CEO has lied.from day 1 about the.Max. He will be torn.to.shreds at the.congressmenssional inquiry. Just.being an.employee and not.part of.the.Billionaires club.means everyone will.turn their backs on him. He.will wither and.perish.
Boeing stock.will continue to slide as.wall street punishes Boeing for.their lies. Who will arise the.messiah, fire thousands of unneccessary and incompetent Managers and.right the ship?????
Puhhhleeeze, there are 2, TWO, major aircraft producers now, Boeing and Airbus (and well one in China that steals designs from the other two LOL). There are hundreds of airlines buying their products and worldwide air travel is expected to increase forever. Boeing isn’t going anywhere.
Secondly, if the NYT is making the case that parsed employee emails signal overall culpability I think they are living in the past. Millenials and future generations who communicate electronically will not put up with a legal system that creeps into their comms like this. Sure, you can judge the Boeing emails based on the past, but that’s all it is, backward looking. People know that so much of what we communicate now via text, email, snap, etc. does not have import.
The good thing about capitalism is there are too many stakeholders that prefer more money be made than laws be followed. Boeing will be fine.
There isn’t much difference between USA and china or Russia. We are deluding ourselves.
Boeing ceo sure looks like presidential material to succeed trump.
As usual… Trying to smooth things down for Boeing and using a reasonable doubt play card. Blaming corruption in Indonesia and poor training in Ethiopia.
I get it. Its american biggest export (aside of freedom & democracy in form of soldiers and war everywhere on the planet), and you, as an american were either paid or duped to defend your “pride”.
Fave it. US of A is not like you thought to be. It sucks. Its products, including aircraft, sucks. Its government, including FAA, sucks. And the people, including those keep defending Boeing, paid or not, directly or indirectly, well…. You figure it out……
You do get touchy James, every time there is even the slightest hint of criticism for Indonesia. It’s okay, I love your country. Nice people and the best coffee in the world. I can’t wait to return to Jakarta this winter if the Park Hyatt opens as planned.
But did you read the linked New York Times article? What specifically do you dispute about the Indonesian aviation system?
And for the avoidance of doubt, contributory negligence in now way excuses Boeing.
Tracked my IP? Oh well…
By blaming others you’ve downplayed Boeing’s fault. Intentional fault. Trying to distribute responsibility.
If you can’t avoid it, at least try to minimize the damage right?
Just like your response, shifting the issue of facts that Boeing has, known the issue of MCAS and its consequences far too long before accidents happened.
Oh well…. Long live america then! Let other people died, as long it provides jobs for americans….
You failed to mention that the attorney for the pilot who wrote those texts stated he was referring to problems IN THE SIM. He (the pilot) seemed to indicate he wasn’t sure if the issue was software related or a sim issue. But then, how would he know…he “sucks” at flying.
Last I saw the pilot himself hasn’t made himself available…yet.
Southwest should start ordering some A220s — ASAP. Does it really want to be known as the “Max airline”?
Staggering arrogance, corporate malfeasance and unbridled greed are the key elements of this story. Now we read that a very significant proportion of Boeing workers felt undue pressure from management ( in a range of activities, including safety). How sad it is to see this once truly great company reduced to this, and as a consequence its reputation forever diminished.
The Spinmeisters tried very hard to paint it as just a few third world incompetents incapable of dealing with sophisticated technology; fortunately no one bought that other than the ( complicit) FAA ( and even they were shamed into action).
truthfullness, humility, humanity, honesty fairness and acceptance of the reality is missing from the Boeing board entirely. they have as a consequence dug a grave for confidence in their words and equipment by blame on others, even up to present. their software, their planes – no thank you. Just saying they made a mistake would at least give a new confidence in their attitude for a new start, even after a high finite cost, which at the moment is escalating. to unknown heights