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Capt. Sullenberger on the FAA and Boeing: Our Credibility Is Being Damaged

18 points by GoRudy 8y ago

chmaynard 8y ago
Many Americans consider Sully a hero. This statement will be very influential.
neilv 8y ago
The most immediate concern is the tragedies of all the lives lost in the crashes. Separate from that, I also thought of credibility, since I've been proud of the FAA's and aviation industry's professionalism and numerous safety achievements. I've also sometimes held up some of their practices as models for more responsible software engineering. I look forward to authorities gaining a comprehensive understanding of whatever went wrong, and taking whatever corrective/improvement action that suggests, as honest professionals. That's what's largely worked for aviation safety.
- tuna-piano 8y ago
  I agree. I'm proud of being an American and a human for many reasons. (rational or irrational) I feel pride in Yosemite, the constitution, and our air safety establishments. It's truly amazing that (still) in the US we've gone so long without a truly catastrophic commercial passenger aviation accident (something like a billion flights!). This whole saga really leaves me with a bad taste in my mouth and leaves me with a lot less pride in the US air safety institutions. I hope the truth of what happens comes out and the establishment fixes what was wrong. -How did the design limits of MCAS get changed without updating the safety requirements for MCAS? -Why didn't Boeing/FAA take the issue seriously between Lion and Ethiopian? -After Ethiopian, why did Boeing, the FAA, US Airlines and US Pilots unions not ground/request to ground the MAXs, while foreign counterparts (including the Canadian pilots union) did? There's a chance the FAA was acting on its best data and actually didn't think there was any significant danger.
  - thecleaner 8y ago
    I hope that if theres a process problem it is quickly found and solved. The FAA has done a fantastic job with air safety. We can only hope that no such accidents occur in the future.
asimjalis 8y ago
The question is whether it was an issue with the plane or with the FCC. If it was with the FCC can the FCC debug itself?
- GoRudy 8y ago
  Boeing is publicly traded and important to the US. Seems the FAA might have some incentive (not necessarily directly financial) to make sure Boeing remains competitive in the market vs. Airbus.
- gizmo686 8y ago
  I assume you meen FAA. A problem with the plane is a problem with the FAA, because the FAA signed off on the plane. Seperatly from figuring out the technical failures that led to the crashes, they need to figure out the regulatory failures that led to a plane with such failures being approved.
nickgrosvenor 8y ago
Oh shit, when Sully speaks people listen... No one wants to be on the wrong side of this hero.

18 points by GoRudy 8y ago

Many Americans consider Sully a hero. This statement will be very influential.

The most immediate concern is the tragedies of all the lives lost in the crashes. Separate from that, I also thought of credibility, since I've been proud of the FAA's and aviation industry's professionalism and numerous safety achievements. I've also sometimes held up some of their practices as models for more responsible software engineering. I look forward to authorities gaining a comprehensive understanding of whatever went wrong, and taking whatever corrective/improvement action that suggests, as honest professionals. That's what's largely worked for aviation safety.

tuna-piano 8y ago
I agree. I'm proud of being an American and a human for many reasons. (rational or irrational) I feel pride in Yosemite, the constitution, and our air safety establishments. It's truly amazing that (still) in the US we've gone so long without a truly catastrophic commercial passenger aviation accident (something like a billion flights!). This whole saga really leaves me with a bad taste in my mouth and leaves me with a lot less pride in the US air safety institutions. I hope the truth of what happens comes out and the establishment fixes what was wrong. -How did the design limits of MCAS get changed without updating the safety requirements for MCAS? -Why didn't Boeing/FAA take the issue seriously between Lion and Ethiopian? -After Ethiopian, why did Boeing, the FAA, US Airlines and US Pilots unions not ground/request to ground the MAXs, while foreign counterparts (including the Canadian pilots union) did? There's a chance the FAA was acting on its best data and actually didn't think there was any significant danger.
- thecleaner 8y ago
  I hope that if theres a process problem it is quickly found and solved. The FAA has done a fantastic job with air safety. We can only hope that no such accidents occur in the future.

asimjalis 8y ago

The question is whether it was an issue with the plane or with the FCC. If it was with the FCC can the FCC debug itself?

GoRudy 8y ago
Boeing is publicly traded and important to the US. Seems the FAA might have some incentive (not necessarily directly financial) to make sure Boeing remains competitive in the market vs. Airbus.
gizmo686 8y ago
I assume you meen FAA. A problem with the plane is a problem with the FAA, because the FAA signed off on the plane. Seperatly from figuring out the technical failures that led to the crashes, they need to figure out the regulatory failures that led to a plane with such failures being approved.

nickgrosvenor 8y ago

Oh shit, when Sully speaks people listen... No one wants to be on the wrong side of this hero.