FAA; Boeing's Extra-cost Options

AROUND THE BLOCK

I learned today…

I learned today, that both the Indonesian and Ethiopian Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft that crashed shortly after takeoff lacked two important safety features in their cockpits. 

Why were the jets missing these devices, known as the “angle of attack indicator” and the “angle of attack disagree light?” Why? Because the devices are optional, extra-cost add-ons that the airlines opted not to purchase to keep costs down.

Really!

This comes on top of yesterday’s revelations that Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) managers pushed the agency’s safety engineers to delegate safety assessments to Boeing itself, and to speedily approve the resulting analysis.

Houston (or Seattle or Chicago or DC or wherever Boeing and its lobbyists are now), we have a problem!

At least European and Canadian regulators think there's a problem: they plan to conduct their own reviews of changes Boeing is making to the jets and not rely on Boeing, er, the FAA.

But let’s get back to the optional equipment.

I’ve never bought a jetliner. But I have purchased many, many cars. And I’m beginning to wonder if Boeing's sales techniques are just like the ones at your neighborhood Ford store. 

I mean, does Boeing run ads in Aviation Weekly with a low price leader on a 737 MAX and the caveats “only one at this price” and “sale ends Monday?” And does the ad have a picture of a guy surrounded by American flags and wearing a cowboy hat saying, “Come on down!”

Look, adding these kinds of safety devices in an airplane is not like opting for the Bose stereo and Sirius/XM radio when you buy a car. These systems and devices are fundamental to a plane’s operation and safety. In the car business, as safety has become a critical selling point, almost all cars, even the inexpensive ones, are coming with certain safety features as standard equipment. Does it take two major crashes to get Boeing to make these devices standard? And does it take two major crashes for the FAA to realize that they cannot let Boeing sell planes without them?

Of course, speaking of cars, it took millions of crashes and literally tens of thousands of deaths before our government mandated that all cars be sold with seat belts and then air bags. But I digress...

By the way, I'm sure some people will argue that airlines are a business with an objective to make a profit; if they feel they can make more money by not opting for certain extra-cost devices, that's their prerogative. Not really. Airlines are a regulated industry. Safety, as they say in their pre-takeoff videos, is their most important priority. No wriggle room here...governing authorities must make these things happen.

The latest news is that Boeing is rushing to make sure all 737 MAX planes have these devices installed. But remember, it's good old Boeing who, according the Seattle Times, “hustled in 2015 to catch up to Airbus and certify its new 737 MAX.”

Hustling in 2015 and rushing today does not a good feeling make in light of past history. Is this the best we can do?