Summary
Whistleblowers at Boeing allege widespread safety lapses, including missing or defective parts and improper assembly practices, driven by pressure to maintain production schedules.
A January incident where a door panel blew off a new 737-9 Max mid-flight has sparked investigations, with insiders like Sam Mohawk revealing that thousands of faulty parts may have been installed on planes.
Other whistleblowers describe similar concerns over quality control failures, managerial indifference, and retaliation for speaking out.
Boeing denies safety risks but faces ongoing FAA investigations amid heightened scrutiny over its practices.
That’s what happens when you tie people’s bonuses directly to how many planes they push out the door. You optimize for production quantity at the cost of everything else.
Let’s ignore Boeing for a second, because this is an interesting problem. Our society rewards production and accepting that, I’m not sure getting planes “out the door” is inherently bad.
It seems to me the issue lies in how to reward the auditors. I think we’d all agree this responsibility should ultimately be a Gov’t function… but internal quality assurance is a thing too. So, how does a company reward this team of auditors? E.x., Finding more errors naively seems like the correct metric. However, their bonus would then go down with program effectiveness- that is, fewer errors/faults based on adversarial competition between the production team and the auditing team would lead to fewer findings (presumably).
Management bonuses is a whole other issue. Then, who should oversee this entire program of rewards to ensure it’s systematically safe for the public? Assuming we accept the premise that rewards are desired.
Reward the entire company when the recall numbers get lower and the safety in the air numbers get higher. Have a culture where someone saying that something isn’t right is a good thing, not punished. This could be done through the training of managers and open door policies. People don’t always need financial compensation. Telling an employee that they’re appreciated for finding and fixing issues can go a really long way.
I said I would never fly again unless I absolutely have to. Now I will absolutely have to and I hope to god it’s on an Airbus.
You should be able to check what airplane your flight uses. The last few times I’ve flown, I’ve been able to sort by airbus. It might be site dependent though.
Good to know, thanks.
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Even with everything considered you’re statistically more likely to die on your way to the airport than on the actual flight.
You’re being irrational.
Cool. I don’t fly because it’s loud, obnoxious and uncomfortable.
Amazing how many people here seem to think wanting comfort and a lack of stress and anxiety being cooped up in a tiny, loud tube with a bunch of obnoxious strangers is such an irrational thing.
And what is airbus going to do for you? Did you forget your comment?
Haven’t been on an airplane for 5.5 years. From Norway, lived in Australia for 3 years (return trip to Norway twice a year), and now live in Denmark. Closer to the continent, so we drive on holidays instead. And I’m keeping it that way!
I think Boeing’s hitmen are barking up the wrong tree.
Do you think the hitmen and counter-hitmen will eventually end up confronting each other?
Looks like Agent 747 is getting another mission
