The cover story in The New York Times magazine for September 22, 2019, was entitled, “What Really Brought Down the Boeing 737 Max?” The writer, William Langewiesche—son of the sainted author of Stick and Rudder, Wolfgang Langewiesche—is a veteran of Flying, an experienced pilot, and a thorough and technically savvy researcher of his wide-ranging articles and books. As you can imagine, I read it eagerly.
Technicalities: The Story Behind the Boeing 737 Max Grounding
Key Takeaways:
- William Langewiesche's *New York Times* article argued the Boeing 737 Max crashes were due to poor pilot airmanship and inadequate training, asserting that crews should have been able to disable the faulty MCAS system.
- This perspective faced strong criticism, including accusations of prejudice, from online commenters and key aviation figures like Chesley Sullenberger.
- The article's author and Sullenberger countered Langewiesche, emphasizing that the "fatally flawed design" of the MCAS system and Boeing's faulty assumptions about human performance in complex emergencies were the true primary causes.
- Boeing is also criticized for deliberately downplaying MCAS's importance to rush the aircraft into service without requiring recertification or pilot retraining, with regulators failing to intervene.
Key takeaways sponsored by Aviator Pro | Start Your Training ->
See a mistake? Contact us.
