Boeing Sees Safer Planes From Changes

"EVERETT, Wash. -- Boeing Co.'s safety chief said changes under way at the plane maker following two deadly 737 MAX crashes should prevent engineers from designing another automated cockpit system without sufficient safeguards.

Mike Delaney, the company's chief aerospace safety officer, said the changes were part of a long-term push to improve how the plane maker addresses engineering and safety three years after the accidents.

As Boeing seeks to rally employees behind the safety push, Mr. Delaney said he didn't want the effort he leads to function like a commission into what went wrong in the run-up to the crashes.

"We're moving forward, fundamentally," said Mr. Delaney, who oversaw new commercial aircraft during the 737 MAX's development. "But I also know that you have to eventually look in the mirror and look back and say, 'Hey, what do we need to learn?' And we're getting to that point right now in the journey."

His comments came in a media briefing at company offices near Seattle on Monday, about efforts under way to improve Boeing's engineering and safety practices after the MAX crashes.

The accidents, in 2018 and 2019, killed 346 people. Investigators largely blamed a Boeing flight-control system for pushing the planes into fatal nosedives. The crashes exposed engineering and regulatory missteps, resulting in added safeguards for the automated cockpit feature known as MCAS, new pilot training and a re-examination of industry assumptions about how pilots respond to in-flight emergencies.

As Boeing looks to improve its safety culture, Mr. Delaney said the company will also examine issues raised by its development of the aircraft and its response to the accidents. Neither the company nor regulators moved to ground the jets until after a second 737 MAX crashed.

While he said he believed the design changes should prevent engineers from creating automated cockpit systems without enough safeguards, he pointed to broad efforts under way that aim to strengthen Boeing's overall safety culture.

Mr. Delaney and other executives said the company was putting in place new systems to manage safety risk, mine airline data for incipient operational problems and encourage employees to raise concerns about possible hazards.

They said they were working to integrate Boeing's new safety-management system with those of airlines to identify hazards and avoid accidents. They said the company is sharing more data with regulators and airlines around the world as well as developing new pilot training.

Some changes the Boeing executives highlighted Monday were initiated by the plane maker, including the reorganization of its engineering department and adding a board-level committee focused on aerospace safety in 2019.

Others have been required by new federal law aimed at overhauling how regulators certify new aircraft as safe to fly with passengers, such as added protections against management pressure on Boeing employees who act on behalf of the Federal Aviation Administration.

A 2021 legal settlement with shareholders required Boeing to hire an ombudsperson to address concerns of employees who represent the regulators. Mr. Delaney said the company was expected to announce its selection for the new role soon." [1]

 

 For flights to be safe, the aircraft manufacturer should be led by engineers, not financial professionals, who are in charge now.

 

1. Business News: Boeing Sees Safer Planes From Changes
Tangel, Andrew. 
Wall Street Journal, Eastern edition; New York, N.Y. [New York, N.Y]. 25 May 2022: B.3.