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After 737 Max crashes, damning whistleblower report reveals sidelined engineers

80 points by RachelF 5y ago

iammru 5y ago
"Richard Kucera, a former GE Aviation engineer, recounted "being placed in an untenable position where he was responsible for conducting engine conformity tests on behalf of [the] FAA, while also being charged with preparing GE engines to pass these same tests." --> This is crazy and scary..... Boeing culture changed so much after it 'acquired’ McDonnell Douglass
- redis_mlc 5y ago
  I've read that quote on a couple of different occasions, and don't see a conflict. Of course you want to prepare engines to pass the tests, and in fact, make any ECOs to make that work. Every airplane prototype goes through exactly that.
  - LatteLazy 5y ago
    He shouldn't also be conducting the test. That's the conflict. The wider conflict is that you cannot be employed by the testee and still a reliable tester. That's why we don't let people give themselves driving licenses for instance.
    - jaclaz 5y ago
      >That's why we don't let people give themselves driving licenses for instance. I really liked the analogy, thanks.
- YLE118 5y ago
  This is what was described as McDonell acquiring Boeing from the inside. I have engineer friends in the company but the attitude of the upper rungs definitely changed.
LatteLazy 5y ago
I don't want to excuse Boeing, especially the execs who created this issue. That said, sooner or later you can't keep cutting prices and maintain safety. Not without a strong independent regulator. And we don't have regulators anymore really, let alone strong independent ones...
- jjtheblunt 5y ago
  I wonder if the market will effect regulators, like if everyone chooses flights on Airbus instead of Boeing.
zqna 5y ago
> Boeing in January agreed to pay $2.5bn to settle criminal charges arising from the two fatal 737 Max crashes. The manufacturer did not admit guilt, however, which would have prevented it from receiving future government contracts. Instead, it entered into a deferred prosecution agreement. It's nice though that we have got a clear tag price on the human life now. This allows our commercial departments to quantify the risk better, and to make decisions that are commercially viable even at the expense of somebody's lives. /s
ngcc_hk 5y ago
System failure when the guys affected just get money off, firm ok, …

80 points by RachelF 5y ago

"Richard Kucera, a former GE Aviation engineer, recounted "being placed in an untenable position where he was responsible for conducting engine conformity tests on behalf of [the] FAA, while also being charged with preparing GE engines to pass these same tests." --> This is crazy and scary..... Boeing culture changed so much after it 'acquired’ McDonnell Douglass

redis_mlc 5y ago
I've read that quote on a couple of different occasions, and don't see a conflict. Of course you want to prepare engines to pass the tests, and in fact, make any ECOs to make that work. Every airplane prototype goes through exactly that.
- LatteLazy 5y ago
  He shouldn't also be conducting the test. That's the conflict. The wider conflict is that you cannot be employed by the testee and still a reliable tester. That's why we don't let people give themselves driving licenses for instance.
  - jaclaz 5y ago
    >That's why we don't let people give themselves driving licenses for instance. I really liked the analogy, thanks.
YLE118 5y ago
This is what was described as McDonell acquiring Boeing from the inside. I have engineer friends in the company but the attitude of the upper rungs definitely changed.

LatteLazy 5y ago

I don't want to excuse Boeing, especially the execs who created this issue. That said, sooner or later you can't keep cutting prices and maintain safety. Not without a strong independent regulator. And we don't have regulators anymore really, let alone strong independent ones...

jjtheblunt 5y ago
I wonder if the market will effect regulators, like if everyone chooses flights on Airbus instead of Boeing.

zqna 5y ago

> Boeing in January agreed to pay $2.5bn to settle criminal charges arising from the two fatal 737 Max crashes. The manufacturer did not admit guilt, however, which would have prevented it from receiving future government contracts. Instead, it entered into a deferred prosecution agreement. It's nice though that we have got a clear tag price on the human life now. This allows our commercial departments to quantify the risk better, and to make decisions that are commercially viable even at the expense of somebody's lives. /s

ngcc_hk 5y ago

System failure when the guys affected just get money off, firm ok, …