If It’s Boeing, We’re Not Going

Years ago, there used to be a slogan “If it ain’t Boeing, we’re not going.” The slogan was a nod of professional respect for the Seattle aircraft builder that brought America into the jet age with great dependable airliners like the Boeing 707, or the three-engine 727.

Now the slogan could be, “If it’s Boeing, we’re not going”. This article reports on a Southwest Airlines Boeing 737 that lost an engine cover on takeoff a few days ago. Fortunately, the plane returned safely to Denver, and no one was injured.

There are thousands of flights each day in the U.S. alone. Large commercial aircraft are immensely complicated. Some mechanical failures are to be expected from time to time. Still, the situation with Boeing aircraft generally and the 737 in particular seems to be spinning out of control.

We all recall the two back-to-back fatal crashes of Boeing 737 MAX 8s in late 2018 (Lion Air) and early 2019 (Ethiopian Airlines) that killed 346 people. After that, all Boeing 737 Max 8 planes worldwide were grounded for 20 months.

Then there was Alaska Airlines Flight 1282 where the door plugs on a Boeing 737 MAX 9 blew out last January, causing uncontrolled decompression of the cabin. That aircraft returned to Portland, Oregon for an emergency landing. Fortunately, the door blew out at an altitude of 16,000 feet where passengers could survive. If the accident had happened much above 20,000 feet, it is likely the plane would have crashed.

In March, another Southwest Airlines flight went off course and almost hit the control tower at LaGuardia Airport in New York. Separately, a whistleblower who worked at Boeing claims that sections of the newer Boeing 787 fuselage were fastened improperly in ways that could weaken the aircraft over time.

In response to these and other dangerous incidents, the Boeing CEO Dave Calhoun said he would leave at the end of this year. Stan Deal, head of commercial aircraft, is leaving immediately. The prior CEO, Dennis Muilenburg was fired in late 2019 after the two fatal crashes. The chairman of Boeing, Larry Kellner, also announced he will not stand for reelection.

Boeing is cleaning house. What’s going on?

Some critics have blamed DEI mandates (Diversity, Equity and Inclusion) for promoting individuals based on race and gender rather than engineering talent. Others blamed Boeing’s management for a short-term focus on profits at the expense of long-term quality control. Still, others blame the airlines themselves for skimping on inspections, maintenance and other operating shortcomings.

Except in cases of easy to identify negligence, it can be difficult to sort out the exact cause of these problems. Still, they are persistent.

Some passengers are using online filters to make sure their upcoming flights are on Airbus or Embraer planes and not Boeings. We may even get to the point where it’s just safer to drive or take the train.

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