Recently, two of Boeings planes have crashed. Both planes were of the same model, the 780 max. The crashes resulted in the deaths of all 97 passengers on one, and another 189 people on the other. Analyst say that the new system caused both crashes, but was that the real reason behind it?

Before the 737 Max from Boeing was put on the market, Boeing‘s main competitor, Airbus, threatened Boeing’s economy with the soon release of the A320neo, an upgraded model of their best selling model the A320. The systems and mechanics would stay the same except for one factor: the engine. It would be much more fuel efficient which would save a ton of money for airlines.

Fearing the damage the A320 could do to Boeing‘s finances, they did they most obvious thing to compete with Airbus. Boeing decided to upgrade their best selling model, the 737-800, by attaching a bigger and better engine just like Airbus had. The only problem was that it didn’t fit under the wing. With limited amount of time left, Boeing decided to simply move the engine up where it peaks a little over the wing in order to save time.
This led to another problem. Because of the way that the engine was attached to the wing, it would cause planes to fly up to fast causing it to stall and possibly crash. Knowing this, they decided to add a new system called the MCAS which basically pushes the nose down on the plant to keep it from stalling. This motion also forces the plane down.

This would have been no problem if Boeing simply trained pilots for this, but they stated that it was so similar to the previous model that the pilots wouldn‘t need training for the new system. After pilots received an hour introduction course on an ipad, they boarded a plane with a completely new take off system. Both crashes resulted in minutes after take off. The first crash could have just been a mistake; however, after the second, Donald Trump immediately grounded all 737 models which caused mass cancellations and delays in airlines.

Boeing has been trying to cover everything up by stating that it was a system malfunction, but was that the truth? Or would it most likely be an attempt to beat their competitors with fast and hasty decisions? A hasty decision that would cause the deaths of 296 going on vacation, with no idea what was coming.

<Luke Jung Crean Lutheran HS 9th Grade>