EVERETT, Wash.––
Boeing Co.
BA -4.65%
’s safety chief said changes under way at the plane maker following two 737 MAX crashes should prevent engineers from designing another automated cockpit system without sufficient safeguards.
Mike Delaney,
the company’s chief aerospace safety officer, said the changes were part of a long-term push to improve how the plane maker addresses engineering and safety three years after the accidents.
As the company seeks to rally employees behind the safety push, Mr. Delaney said he didn’t want the effort he leads to function like a commission into what went wrong in the run-up to the crashes.
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“We’re moving forward, fundamentally,” Mr. Delaney said. “But I also know that you have to eventually look in the mirror and look back and say, ‘Hey, what do we need to learn?’ And we’re getting to that point right now in the journey.”
His comments came in a media briefing at company offices near Seattle on Monday, about efforts under way to improve its engineering and safety practices after the MAX crashes.
The accidents, in 2018 and 2019, claimed 346 lives. Investigators largely blamed a Boeing flight-control system for pushing the planes into fatal nosedives. The crashes exposed engineering and regulatory missteps, resulting in added safeguards for the automated cockpit feature known as MCAS, new pilot training and a re-examination of industry assumptions about how pilots respond to in-flight emergencies.
As the company addresses improving its safety culture, he said the company will also examine issues raised by the company’s development of the aircraft and its response to the accidents. Neither the company nor regulators moved to ground the aircraft until after a second 737 MAX crashed.
While he believed the design changes should prevent engineers from creating automated cockpit systems without enough safeguards, he pointed to broad efforts under way that he said are aimed at strengthening Boeing’s overall safety culture.
Mr. Delaney and other executives described how the company was putting in place new systems to manage safety risk, mine airline data for incipient operational problems and encourage employees to raise concerns about possible hazards.
They said they were working to integrate Boeing’s new safety management system with those of airlines to identify hazards and avoid accidents. They said the company is sharing more data with regulators and airlines around the world, as well as developing new pilot training.
A Boeing 737 MAX 10 airliner took off for a flight in 2021 after regulators cleared the 737 MAX to fly again.
Photo:
Stephen Brashear/Getty Images
Some changes the Boeing executives highlighted Monday were initiated by the company, including the reorganization of its engineering department and adding a board-level committee focused on aerospace safety in 2019.
Others have been required by new federal law aimed at overhauling how regulators certify new aircraft as safe to fly with passengers, such as added protections against management pressure on Boeing employees who act on behalf of the Federal Aviation Administration.
A 2021 legal settlement with shareholders requires the hiring of an ombudsperson to address concerns of employees who represent the regulators. Mr. Delaney said the company was expected to soon announce its selection for the new role.
Write to Andrew Tangel at Andrew.Tangel@wsj.com
Copyright ©2022 Dow Jones & Company, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 87990cbe856818d5eddac44c7b1cdeb8
EVERETT, Wash.––
Boeing Co.
BA -4.65%
’s safety chief said changes under way at the plane maker following two 737 MAX crashes should prevent engineers from designing another automated cockpit system without sufficient safeguards.
Mike Delaney,
the company’s chief aerospace safety officer, said the changes were part of a long-term push to improve how the plane maker addresses engineering and safety three years after the accidents.
As the company seeks to rally employees behind the safety push, Mr. Delaney said he didn’t want the effort he leads to function like a commission into what went wrong in the run-up to the crashes.
SHARE YOUR THOUGHTS
Has Boeing adequately addressed safety issues? Why or why not? Join the conversation below.
“We’re moving forward, fundamentally,” Mr. Delaney said. “But I also know that you have to eventually look in the mirror and look back and say, ‘Hey, what do we need to learn?’ And we’re getting to that point right now in the journey.”
His comments came in a media briefing at company offices near Seattle on Monday, about efforts under way to improve its engineering and safety practices after the MAX crashes.
The accidents, in 2018 and 2019, claimed 346 lives. Investigators largely blamed a Boeing flight-control system for pushing the planes into fatal nosedives. The crashes exposed engineering and regulatory missteps, resulting in added safeguards for the automated cockpit feature known as MCAS, new pilot training and a re-examination of industry assumptions about how pilots respond to in-flight emergencies.
As the company addresses improving its safety culture, he said the company will also examine issues raised by the company’s development of the aircraft and its response to the accidents. Neither the company nor regulators moved to ground the aircraft until after a second 737 MAX crashed.
While he believed the design changes should prevent engineers from creating automated cockpit systems without enough safeguards, he pointed to broad efforts under way that he said are aimed at strengthening Boeing’s overall safety culture.
Mr. Delaney and other executives described how the company was putting in place new systems to manage safety risk, mine airline data for incipient operational problems and encourage employees to raise concerns about possible hazards.
They said they were working to integrate Boeing’s new safety management system with those of airlines to identify hazards and avoid accidents. They said the company is sharing more data with regulators and airlines around the world, as well as developing new pilot training.
A Boeing 737 MAX 10 airliner took off for a flight in 2021 after regulators cleared the 737 MAX to fly again.
Photo:
Stephen Brashear/Getty Images
Some changes the Boeing executives highlighted Monday were initiated by the company, including the reorganization of its engineering department and adding a board-level committee focused on aerospace safety in 2019.
Others have been required by new federal law aimed at overhauling how regulators certify new aircraft as safe to fly with passengers, such as added protections against management pressure on Boeing employees who act on behalf of the Federal Aviation Administration.
A 2021 legal settlement with shareholders requires the hiring of an ombudsperson to address concerns of employees who represent the regulators. Mr. Delaney said the company was expected to soon announce its selection for the new role.
Write to Andrew Tangel at Andrew.Tangel@wsj.com
Copyright ©2022 Dow Jones & Company, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 87990cbe856818d5eddac44c7b1cdeb8