Riyadh's PSU tops Saudi universities in research quality    Historic Jeddah hosts 'Ramadan Season 2025' with diverse cultural events    Project launched to evaluate degraded sites in Saudi regions    Bevatel leads the WhatsApp Business API and Meta Solutions for GCC businesses    Aramco reports $106.2 billion net income for 2024    Trump's tariffs risk economic turbulence and voter backlash    Two dead after car plows into crowd in Germany    Pope Francis 'alert' after respiratory failure    Trump pauses US military aid to Ukraine following disastrous Oval Office meeting    In-person school classes will remain suspended in some parts of Makkah region on Tuesday    Al-Ahli CEO Ron Gourlay to step down in April    HONOR unveils New Corporate Strategy to Transition to an AI Device Ecosystem Company Illuminating a three-step roadmap underpinned by openness and collaboration    MEPCO lays the Foundation for PM5: A Groundbreaking Leap in Paper Production, doubling Supply Capacity and introducing Superior-Quality Paper to the Region    Secure 2030 by Seclore strengthens Data Sovereignty, Cybersecurity and Regulations in Saudi Arabia    UK death rate 'reaches record low'    Anora sweeps Oscars with best picture, best director and best actress for Mikey Madison    Bassogog stuns Al-Ittihad with last-minute equalizer as Al-Okhdood snatches a dramatic draw    Cristiano Ronaldo left out of Al-Nassr squad for AFC Champions League clash against Esteghlal in Iran    Toney's hat-trick stuns Al Hilal as Al Ahli claims thrilling victory in Saudi Clasico    King Salman prays for peace and stability for Palestinians in Ramadan message King reaffirms Saudi Arabia's commitment to serving the Two Holy Mosques and pilgrims    SFDA warns against Maragatty chicken broth for containing banned colorants    Bollywood star Saif Ali Khan 'out of danger' after attack at home in Mumbai    Order vs. Morality: Lessons from New York's 1977 Blackout    India puts blockbuster Pakistani film on hold    Exotic Taif Roses Simulation Performed at Taif Rose Festival    Asian shares mixed Tuesday    Weather Forecast for Tuesday    Saudi Tourism Authority Participates in Arabian Travel Market Exhibition in Dubai    Minister of Industry Announces 50 Investment Opportunities Worth over SAR 96 Billion in Machinery, Equipment Sector    HRH Crown Prince Offers Condolences to Crown Prince of Kuwait on Death of Sheikh Fawaz Salman Abdullah Al-Ali Al-Malek Al-Sabah    HRH Crown Prince Congratulates Santiago Peña on Winning Presidential Election in Paraguay    SDAIA Launches 1st Phase of 'Elevate Program' to Train 1,000 Women on Data, AI    41 Saudi Citizens and 171 Others from Brotherly and Friendly Countries Arrive in Saudi Arabia from Sudan    Saudi Arabia Hosts 1st Meeting of Arab Authorities Controlling Medicines    General Directorate of Narcotics Control Foils Attempt to Smuggle over 5 Million Amphetamine Pills    NAVI Javelins Crowned as Champions of Women's Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO) Competitions    Saudi Karate Team Wins Four Medals in World Youth League Championship    Third Edition of FIFA Forward Program Kicks off in Riyadh    Evacuated from Sudan, 187 Nationals from Several Countries Arrive in Jeddah    SPA Documents Thajjud Prayer at Prophet's Mosque in Madinah    SFDA Recommends to Test Blood Sugar at Home Two or Three Hours after Meals    SFDA Offers Various Recommendations for Safe Food Frying    SFDA Provides Five Tips for Using Home Blood Pressure Monitor    SFDA: Instant Soup Contains Large Amounts of Salt    Mawani: New shipping service to connect Jubail Commercial Port to 11 global ports    Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Delivers Speech to Pilgrims, Citizens, Residents and Muslims around the World    Sheikh Al-Issa in Arafah's Sermon: Allaah Blessed You by Making It Easy for You to Carry out This Obligation. Thus, Ensure Following the Guidance of Your Prophet    Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques addresses citizens and all Muslims on the occasion of the Holy month of Ramadan    







Thank you for reporting!
This image will be automatically disabled when it gets reported by several people.



Bluster in the face of failure
Published in The Saudi Gazette on 20 - 05 - 2019

Boeing, the world's largest aircraft maker, is in a serious jam. On Thursday civil aviation regulators from Brazil, Canada, China, and EU will join US Federal Aviation Authority (FAA) officials to review Boeing's efforts to fix the software on it 737 Max aircraft, two of which have crashed in Indonesia and Ethiopia killing 346 passengers and crew.
All 400 of the 737 Max aircraft Boeing has sold from an original order book of over 5,000, are currently grounded. Given the US lawsuits piling up against it not simply from bereaved relatives but also airlines facing massive losses, it was not surprising Boeing was slow to admit that the cause of both crashes was almost certainly the Maneuvering Characteristics Augmentation System (MCAS). Thanks to a false sensor reading, this automatically dived the plane because it wrongly detected a stall.
The problem was compounded by the astonishing fact that not all pilots of the new aircraft had been made aware of the system. When they tried to turn it off, they did not realize that only five seconds later it would kick in again and resume the dive. The workaround was to disable automatic flight and fly the aircraft manually but this recourse was not made clear. Moreover, the Boeing 737 Max was billed as a brand new aircraft but in fact it is the fourth generation of a plane which first flew way back in 1967. Because of this, the "type rating" which pilots must undergo before they can fly a completely new aircraft was often skimped. But what pilots and their airlines didn't know was that because of important design changes, the 737 Max had a habit of raising its nose even more than expected in a climb. The MCAS system was developed to counteract this but relied on only one of the aircraft's two climb rate sensors.
Boeing stonewalled anxious pilots after the first Max crash. It continued to hold out for 48 hours after the second. In this it was backed by the FAA until international counterparts, led by China, all grounded the new 737s operated by their own carriers. It has since emerged that, to save money, the FAA left much crucial certification work to Boeing itself or used outside contractors many of whom were former Boeing employees.
While Boeing has seriously harmed its reputation by the way in which it has tried to slide out from under the blame, the real culprit here has to be the US regulator. The plane maker introduced a critical error which it was the FAA's duty to spot. They have failed to do their job properly. The FAA chief Daniel K Elwell told Congress that it had been delegating approval since the 1920s and now outsourced 90 percent of its certification. To bring the work back in-house would mean 10,000 new employees and cost $1.8 billion a year. He claimed defensively that the FAA had put in 110,000 man-hours checking out the 737 Max.
This is humbug. Time and again around the world, leading businessmen, politicians and regulators claim that everything had been done to prevent a disaster. But the disaster still happened. Therefore, very clearly everything had not been done. Instead of trying to bluster, why don't these people put their hands up and admit their terrible mistakes?


Clic here to read the story from its source.