On 10th March 2019, 157 people died in a horrendous plane crash in Ethiopia.
The plane they died in was a newly manufactured Boeing 737. The families of the victims have demanded that the plane maker be criminally prosecuted for the deaths.
A Broken Safety Culture
It has already been shown that Boeing has a broken safety culture.
Particularly this year with several incidents with its aircraft, including a door blowing off in mid-air which could have been fatal and a dangerous Dutch-roll, amongst others.
Plea Deal to Avoid Charges
Earlier this summer, Boeing agreed a plea deal with American authorities.
This deal reportedly allows them to escape criminal charges for the deaths of hundreds of people from the fatal crashes of their 737 aircraft, including the one in Ethiopia in 2019.
US Campaign Group
The Foundation for Aviation Safety is a US campaign group.
Their website says that they aim “to be a trusted source of reliable, evidence-based information—promoting transparency.”
Electrical Faults Concealed
Now, from documents allegedly leaked by Boeing employees, the Foundation is accusing Boeing of concealing electrical faults on the plane that killed 157 people.
Amongst the faults shown are “a lack of electrical parts, missing and improperly installed wiring, and employees being placed under extreme pressure to rework defective parts.”
Restoration of Trust
Boeing’s new Chief Executive, Kelly Ortberg, has vowed to restore trust in the aerospace giant after the last few painful years.
He may have his work cut out for him as, in addition to all of the problems with its aircraft, a Boeing space shuttle has also failed and has resulted in two astronauts being forced to stay in space until next year when they were due home in June.
Former 737 Factory Manager
Ed Pierson, the head of the Foundation for Aviation Safety, is a former Boeing employee who managed the 737 factory in Washington State.
His website claims that he “raised concerns to his supervisors about the dangerously unstable production environment” of the 737 and tried to persuade Boeing’s directors to shut down production on the airplane before the fatal crashes happened.
Accident Investigation Bureau
Ethiopia’s Accident Investigation Bureau found that production related defects were responsible for the fatal crash.
The documents analysed by the Foundation for Aviation Safety would seem to back up this view, alleging that the aircraft had electrical issues in the weeks before the crash.
Denial
Boeing and the American authorities have consistently denied this view of events.
The US National Transportation Safety Board claims that there is no evidence for this and that the sensor failure which led to the crash can be attributed to the impact of a foreign object in the air.
Corrective Action Plan
Boeing is attempting to carry out a corrective action plan, as set out by the Federal Aviation Authority.
With the leaked documents, regular incidents still occuring with its aircraft, allegations still coming from staff within its factories and the Foundation for Aviation Safety and the families of the victims determined to hold it accountable, there is still some doubt about the efficacy of its new safety measures.
