The Daily Why Boeing’s Top Airplanes Keep Failing
33 snips
Feb 12, 2024 
Sydney Ember, a business reporter for The New York Times, dives deep into Boeing's recent manufacturing woes. She discusses the alarming failure of an Alaska Airlines flight that raised safety concerns and the implications for Boeing's reputation. Ember also highlights the troubling oversight in the production of the Boeing 737 MAX 9, including missing bolts. The podcast sheds light on the fraught relationship between Boeing and the FAA and explores how profit-driven motives have overshadowed engineering excellence, leaving safety in question.
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Alaska Airlines Incident
- An Alaska Airlines Boeing 737 Max 9 experienced a door blowout mid-flight, causing panic but no injuries.
- The plane landed safely, raising immediate questions about Boeing and the FAA.
Initial Reactions and Grounding
- Initial blame for the incident was unclear, with possibilities including Alaska Airlines, Boeing, Spirit Aerosystems, or the FAA.
- The FAA grounded Max 9 planes after the incident, impacting airlines like Alaska and United.
FAA and Boeing's Relationship
- The FAA's limited resources resulted in Boeing certifying much of its own work, a potential conflict of interest.
- Boeing employees had previously raised safety concerns about this relationship.