Controversy Over Regulatory Authorities' Inadequate Review of Boeing 737 Max Model That Caused 346 Deaths

[Image source=AP Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kwon Jae-hee] The Boeing 737 Max model, which was grounded following a series of disasters that claimed a total of 346 lives, was able to operate due to inadequate scrutiny by regulatory authorities. It has also been revealed that Boeing engaged in lobbying to obtain approval from these regulators.

According to foreign media including The New York Times (NYT) on the 10th (local time), internal documents submitted by Boeing to Congress showed that employees revealed the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA)'s aircraft and pilot training evaluations were insufficient. In particular, it was disclosed that airlines lobbied the FAA to receive approvals as desired by the company.

The Max model was involved in major accidents consecutively, including the crash of an Indonesian Lion Air flight in October 2018 and an Ethiopian Airlines flight in March last year, resulting in a total of 346 passengers and crew members losing their lives.

According to reports, during a discussion about the Max model's pilot program in April 2017, one employee mocked, "The people who designed this model are clowns, and the monkeys supervising the clowns are the FAA." The "monkeys" supervising refers to the aviation regulatory authority, the FAA.

Furthermore, in 2018, an employee said, "Would you put your four family members on a plane flown by a pilot trained on the Max simulator?" adding, "I would not put my family on it."

During this process, it was also revealed that Boeing lobbied to obtain regulatory approval as they wished.

Boeing initially submitted documents to authorities and Congress with some parts redacted, but last month released the full version, newly exposing employees' mocking remarks toward the authorities.

Peter DeFazio, chairman of the House Transportation Committee, criticized the revealed communications among Boeing employees, stating, "It shockingly depicts Boeing's active efforts to evade oversight by regulators, crew members, and airline passengers."

Boeing stated that when questions about the simulator were raised, they conducted multiple tests and are confident that the Max simulator operated effectively.

Regarding the mocking expressions toward regulatory authorities, Boeing explained, "These do not reflect the company's reality or aspirations and are absolutely unacceptable."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.