This archive report was first published on 29 October 2019.
Boeing CEO Admits Mistakes in 737 MAX Crashes ¶
October 29, 2019
Boeing CEO Dennis Muilenburg has acknowledged that the company made mistakes in the development of the 737 MAX, which was involved in two fatal crashes that killed 346 people.
According to written testimony made public on Monday, Muilenburg will tell the US Senate Commerce Committee that the company has learned from the accidents and is still learning.
“We have learned and are still learning from these accidents, Mr Chairman. We know we made mistakes and got some things wrong,” Muilenburg will say.
He added that the company has made improvements to the 737 MAX that will ensure that accidents like these never happen again.
US airlines have canceled flights into January and February because of the grounding, and the Federal Aviation Administration is not expected to approve the 737 MAX’s ungrounding until December at the earliest.
“We also know we can and must do better,” Muilenburg’s testimony says.
He expressed “deepest sympathies to the families and loved ones” of those killed, noting that the hearing would be taking place on the anniversary of the crash of Lion Air Flight 610 in Indonesia that killed 189 people.
Boeing has admitted few mistakes since the two fatal crashes. Earlier this month, the FAA questioned why Boeing withheld instant messages from a former pilot for months that raised questions about MCAS.
“Regulators should approve the return of the MAX to the skies only after they have applied the most rigorous scrutiny, and are completely satisfied as to the plane’s safety. The flying public deserves nothing less,” Muilenburg said.
