The Boeing 737 that caused the fatal crash in China on March 21 2022 reminded me of the two other fatal crashes of Boeing 737 MAX 8 that transpired near Jakarta, Indonesia and near Addis Ababa, Ethiopia in 2018 and 2019 respectively. I was extremely perplexed by these crashes as many people around the world trust Boeing and Boeing is a reputable company, hence I started doing further research into Boeing airplanes, curious to see what caused the crash.
What I found in my research deeply distrubed me. I came upon countless investigations showing how unethical Boeing practices are- in fact, you can say those practices were diabolical and heartless.
According to preliminary findings from the ongoing investigations leaked to the New York Times, both disasters were caused by a single faulty sensor, which triggered a new automatic anti-stall system to repeatedly push the plane’s nose down until it crashed. The flight crew manual for the Max made no mention of the new system because Boeing wanted to avoid changes to the plane that would lead the FAA to impose training requirements. Training for pilots is costly for airlines and would discourage them from buying the Max. Ultimately, money and padding their bottom lines appear to be less important to Boeing than human lives.
Moreover, several newspapers have found that until recently, Boeing charged airlines extra for relatively simple and cheap warning displays in the cockpit that alert pilots to divergent sensor readings. If such displays had been installed on the two 737 MAX 8s that crashed, it would be more likely (but not certain) that pilots would have been able to diagnose the malfunctioning anti-stall system. This shows Boeing's blatant disregard for the safety, health and welfare of the public by charging extra for important safety devices that do not cost much to produce in the first place, highlighting their greed and cold bloodedness.
Furthermore, reports have shown that Boeing has been trying to fix hardware issues of its faulty airframe with software systems. This is the cause of all the problems mentioned earlier. Boeing put the larger engine in the old airframe because it was in a great hurry to maintain market share as it had faced tremendous pressure from the very popular Airbus A30neo. In order to accommodate the newer, larger engines, Boeing elected to move them farther forward on the wing. To compensate for the change in design and as a result a change in the aerodynamics of the craft, Boeing added a single sensor and a software fix. (This is the reason why the faulty sensor mentioned above forces the plane’s nose down and the pilots are not able to override this system regardless of how hard they pull the yoke.) The hardware should be completely removed instead, according to Gregory Travis, a veteran software engineer and experienced, instrument-rated pilot. Travis concluded: “It is likely that MCAS, originally added in the spirit of increasing safety, has now killed more people than it could have ever saved. It doesn’t need to be ‘fixed’ with more complexity, more software. It needs to be removed.”
In 2020, Boeing’s 737 Max was cleared to fly passengers again after a nearly two-year ban by The Federal Aviation Administration. However, there are still many people who are sceptical and fearful of the safety of their airplanes after the two fatal crashes.
Thus, here comes the question that Boeing, specifically the CEO of Boeing, needs to ponder: Is profit maximisation worth it if people are afraid and do not have enough confidence to board your plane? Will you ever feel guilty for the deaths you have caused and putting many others at risk of dying just to pursue your self centred profit-making ambitions?
As of the time of this article's writing, Boeing is far too obsessed with temporary financial results instead of long term profits. Multiple reports have shown that Boeing sacrificed investment in engineering and safety for the bottom line. This is vital as it should not only consider capital gains, but also ethical, environmental and social performance as well.
Engineers often say “You can have it good, fast or cheap. But you can only pick two.” It is apparent that Boeing has picked fast and cheap for MAX Boeing, and the results have been deadly and horrifying.
After reading reports on Boeing, my views on Boeing and air travel have changed drastically. What are your thoughts on this ?
Written by: Wee Yu Yan (21S66)
edited by: Khoo Kia Song Kendrick (22A14), Tan Xuanmin (21S78)
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