Hearing in the US Senate

Fatal 737 crashes: Boeing boss apologizes

(Bild: AP ( via APA) Austria Presse Agentur/J. Scott Applewhite)

Two crashes involving Boeing 737 Max aircraft in 2018 and 2019 claimed the lives of 346 people. Now the head of the aircraft manufacturer, Dave Calhoun, has apologized to the bereaved families of the victims at a hearing in the US Senate.

"I apologize for the suffering we have caused," said Calhoun on Tuesday, addressing several relatives present in the room. Boeing is placing an increased focus on safety in memory of the victims.

Fatal software errors
The accidents involving 737 Max 8 aircraft operated by Indonesia's Lion Air and Ethiopian Airlines were caused by problems with assistance software. The system, called MCAS, was designed to help pilots control the aircraft in certain situations. In both cases, however, they were surprised by a clear and incorrect intervention by the software.

At the hearing of the Boeing CEO (front), many of the victims' bereaved were in the audience.

(Bild: AP ( via APA) Austria Presse Agentur/J. Scott Applewhite)

Boeing had admitted at the time that the company had not correctly informed the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) about the extent of the pilot training required to operate the software. Calhoun reiterated on Tuesday: "MCAS and Boeing are responsible for these crashes." After the second accident, 737 Max planes were grounded for almost two years until changes were made to the system.

Group under heavy pressure
The hearing in the Senate Subcommittee on Investigations was convened because Boeing is currently under acute pressure to improve its quality controls. This was triggered by a near-accident involving an almost-new Boeing 737-9 Max aircraft at the beginning of January.

During the flight operated by Alaska Airlines with more than 170 people on board, a section of the fuselage broke off shortly after take-off. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) assumes that fastening bolts were missing from the part that broke off. Boeing was unable to provide the investigators with any documentation of work on the fragment.

Repeated mishaps
"Alaska was a production error," said Calhoun on Tuesday. However, he emphasized that this was also the only case he knew of among the most recent mishaps in US aviation that could be traced back to production and not subsequent maintenance. Boeing aircraft from various airlines have been in the headlines in recent months. One lost a wheel on take-off, for example, while another landed with a flap torn off the fuselage.

Among others, a Boeing whistleblower recently testified in the subcommittee, accusing the company of production errors in the 787 Dreamliner model. Boeing rejects the allegations. Calhoun did not comment on individual points of criticism, but said that not all warnings had proved to be accurate.

In addition to Calhoun, Boeing chief engineer Howard McKenzie (left) also testified.

(Bild: APA/AFP/SAMUEL CORUM)

Calhoun resigns
The manager called reports that a whistleblower had previously been persecuted at Boeing "heartbreaking". However, this was long before his time. Calhoun has been at the helm of Boeing since the beginning of 2020 and will leave the post at the end of the year. A successor has not yet been announced.