While the latest aviation safety issues and accidents over the last few months scare some, to seasoned professionals the aviation tragedies and near misses do not come as a surprise. The only question is: Why did it take so long?
There’s a long list of safety failures in the airline industry. United Airlines B777 plunged to the Pacific during climb in 2023, and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), United, and the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) didn’t investigate it for months. A 265-pound main tire fell off a B777 taking off out of Los Angeles; it fell from over 200 feet — still spinning — into an airport parking lot. The nose tire came off a taxiing B757. Two mechanics were killed when an incorrectly pressurized tire exploded in Atlanta. Most memorable were the Endeavour regional jet that flipped in Toronto, the mid-air collision between a PSA Airlines regional plane and a military helicopter, and an Endeavour regional aircraft that struck a wing during a go-around at La Guardia airport. More such events never made the news or were easily forgotten.
Boeing’s 737-Max was a failure on so many levels. But it wasn’t Boeing’s failure, as people were led to believe. Boeing makes products. Airlines buy these aircraft for technological improvements. It’s solely the airline’s responsibility to properly train their pilots and technicians to operate and maintain the aircraft — not the manufacturer’s.
The Alaska Airlines flight 1282 door plug loss was Boeing’s fault; but Boeing didn’t own it alone. Blame for that failure was shared with the FAA, the contract fuselage producer, Spirit AeroSystems, and the NTSB. All missed the important cues. They permitted breakdowns in quality control; both internal and external quality evaluations were ignored and almost cost a plane full of people their lives. It’s impossible to analyze these multiple facts in so short a space, but Alaska flight 1282 was never recognized for what it was: a symptom.
Hellbound and Down 