Aviation was once touted as statistically the safest way to travel, not so much anymore. With the recent headlines of the 737 Max debacle and the ever deepening hole that is being dug as the authorities look into the scandal, we now know that this software problem and the “irregularities” in its development are not limited to just one type of aircraft but may also affect the 787 (Miletich, 2019).
Al Jazeera once did a documentary on the 787 aircraft in 2014 and when it was initially released it was seen as a smear campaign against the once great aircraft manufacturer, but now it seems that the reports of problems at the South Carolina plant may have been closer to the truth than the regulatory authorities were willing to admit to. Aviation news site Airway News and reposted by Forbes jumped to the defense of Boeing decrying the slanted reporting of Al Jazeera (Bhaskara, 2014). This is just a symptom of the larger problem that has developed because of the relationship between the FAA, airlines, and manufacturers.
Although the FAA has changed its mission to that of air safety, many of their upper level employees, as well as their inspectors are drawn from the ranks of both airlines and manufacturers. This presents a problem because of their close relationship with their former employer. This has been documented by recent reports in the news:
“I’ve had reports that I had entered into our database one day were there and the next morning, they’re gone,” one told “CBS This Morning” co-host Tony Dokoupil.
They say managers at the FAA pressure inspectors like them to ignore critical safety issues like corrosion or making sure vendors were FAA compliant and retaliated if inspectors refused to back off (TOWEY, 2019)
The recent developments in the investigation of the 737 MAX highlight the danger of this close relationship, as reported by The Seattle Times, Boeing secured the largest order from India while offshoring the development of their software to Indian companies (Robison, 2019). By allowing Boeing to shift the burden of certification from external authorities such as the FAA to internal personnel such as designees, it presents the air of impropriety even if it is not the case. The FAA must immediately rescind any authority that they have issued to allow organizations to self-certify any of their products. To allow this practice to continue puts the flying public in danger and could lead to an aviation disaster that will be directly traced back to the FAA’s policy of allowing self-certification or the inspection of MRO facilities by local authorities under bilateral Maintenance Implementation Procedures. Unfortunately, accountants now run the airlines instead of aviators being advised by them. This has resulted in the situation we have today where the maintenance is contracted out to the lowest bidder, usually by a foreign MRO, done by uncertificated mechanics with no oversight by the FAA while the flying public absorbs all the risk.
Bhaskara, V. (2014, September 14). Review: Al Jazeera’s 787 Report Misses the Mark. Retrieved from Forbes: https://www.forbes.com/sites/airchive/2014/09/10/review-al-jazeeras-787-report-misses-the-mark/#3bca2c164c7a
Miletich, S. (2019, June 28). DOJ probe expands beyond Boeing 737 MAX, includes 787 Dreamliner. Retrieved from The Seattle Times: https://www.seattletimes.com/business/boeing-aerospace/federal-prosecutors-issue-subpoena-for-boeing-787-dreamliner-records/
Robison, P. (2019, June 28). Boeing’s 737 Max Software Outsourced to $9-an-Hour Engineers. Retrieved from Bloomberg: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-06-28/boeing-s-737-max-software-outsourced-to-9-an-hour-engineers
TOWEY, M. D. (2019, May 23). Inspectors say FAA pressures them to ignore critical plane problems: “The flying public needs to wake up”. Retrieved from CBS News: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/federal-aviation-administration-inspectors-say-they-are-pressured-to-overlook-problems-flying-public-needs-to-know/
Patrick Carroll 