The past five months have been hit by two horrifying crashes of Boeing’s 737 MAX 8 airplane, the latest model developed and produced by the prestigious aerospace company. The newest accident, the crash of one of Ethiopian airlines’ planes, left a horrifying image seared into the mind of travel companies around the world. What followed was a complete and total grounding of all Boeing 737 MAX 8 and 9s across the globe.
While the crash is still being excavated, a Boeing believes it may have found the source of the issue. Their new anti-stall control system (MCAS), had been given too much control of the aircraft and was prone to malfunction. The system, designed to stop planes from losing power in high angle maneuvers, was meant as a last resort. It’s purpose is to simply lower the nose of the plane when the system detects anomalous conditions. However, when the system activated itself mistakenly, pilots were unable to stop it from taking control of the aircraft, leading to the two horrific crashes where the plane the plane barrels towards ground level at hundreds of miles per hour.
The incidents have also revealed key issues within the Federal Aviation Administration, the government office that was tasked with certifying the plane. Due to budget cuts, the administration often delegated review of primordial safety systems to Boeing, who failed to meet the necessary measures. Yet, the plane was approved anyways due to pressure from higher ups within the office.
These oversights now leave Boeing with another imminent threat: lawsuits. They are already the target of families seeking compensation for the loss of their family members. The company will now need to defend itself in court and attempt to prove that it did not intentionally gloss over the MCAS system’s design flaws and that it acted without malicious intent.
How do you feel nations should deal with Boeing? Their actions are horrifying so what should be done to reprimand them?
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