Aviation Safety Analysis: Boeing 737 MAX, FAA, and Ethical Failures

This report analyzes the safety and ethical implications of the Boeing 737 MAX aircraft, focusing on the role of the FAA and Boeing in the certification process. It examines whether the MAX 8 represents a significant deviation from previous 737 models, particularly concerning its software, and the consequences of these differences for airworthiness testing. The report delves into whether Boeing and the FAA adhered to the NSPE Code of Ethics during the approval of the MAX 8 for flight, highlighting specific instances of potential ethical breaches and failures in oversight. It draws on articles from the Seattle Times, Houston Chronicle, and Boeing's website, as well as NTSB reports, to provide a comprehensive overview of the issues surrounding the aircraft's design, certification, and the ethical responsibilities of the involved parties. The report emphasizes the importance of aviation safety and the need for rigorous testing and ethical conduct to prevent future accidents.

Running head: AVIATION SAFETY 1
Aviation Safety
Student’s Name
Institution
Date

AVIATION SAFETY 2
Abstract
Aviation safety is paramount to air transport. The failed cases of Boeing airplanes are good
examples of what would happen if the safety of the aircraft is not taken seriously. FAA and
Boeing are two parties that deserve the blame of the two crushes that took place within five
months. Boeing overlooked some of the flaws that its engineers identified with an optimistic
perception that they would not affect the safety of the airplanes. FAA delegated a responsibility
that it was supposed to play alone to Boeing thus compromising NSPE's Code of Ethics. The
current change that is taking place at Boeing in terms of software change and upgrade is,
however, likely to help the company avoid such incidences in the future.

AVIATION SAFETY 3
Is the Max 8 (especially its software) a significant deviation from the prior versions of the
737 aircraft?
Max 8 is a significant deviation because it has promoted change that would help to avoid
issues that have been present in the company. Boeing has decided to change the software of
automated flight-control system (Johnston & Harris, 2019). Earlier, the flight control computer
would only take one input and from only one computer. The case will be changed because it will
be possible to receive input from the two flight-control computers (Gates, 2019). From a
systematic and software perspective, the move reduces risks by promoting cooperation and
teamwork between the two flight-control computers (Chen, Liu, & Li, 2017). It means that if one
of them failed, the other would be ready to perform the tasks of the failed one (Leinfelder, 2019).
As a result, efficiency in control is promoted at a significant percentage and it minimizes the
risks of failure.
Are there consequences for airworthiness testing if there are significant differences?
There are consequences because testing is aimed at looking at the safety of an airplane.
The differences of whatever nature do not stand in the way of testing because irrespective of the
difference, the safety of the aircraft has to be promoted (Gates, 2019). The consequences can
either be positive or negative, depending on the nature of testing (Moh, 2016). The differences
also come in place to make sure that the specific needs are identified and the requirements are
met. Effective and accurate airworthiness testing has positive consequences because it helps to
promote the safety of the airplanes as well as the people who will be served by the aircraft.
Did Boeing and the FAA follow the requirements of the NSPE Code of Ethics in the process
to approve the Max 8 for flight?
Boeing and FAA did not follow the requirements of the NSPE Code of Ethics. The NSPE
Code of Ethics advocate for the need of engineers to uphold ethical standards and promote safety
and health of the potential users of the devices or equipment that they are mandated to analyze
(Troshchenko, Kasdaglis, Bernard, & Stephane, 2017). In the case of 737, FAA managers
promoted neglect by allowing Boeing to conduct safety assessments of its airplane. The
responsibilities of the FAA engineers were overlooked in this case and what is frustrating is the
fact that FAA played a role. Engineers are qualified, and they are supposed to play the role of

AVIATION SAFETY 4
assessing the safety of the airplanes that are brought to the attention of the FAA (Levin &
Courtney, 2019). The mistake of Boeing on the other side was associated with the fact that it
identified flaws but went ahead to overlook them because it was in a rush to compete with airbus.

AVIATION SAFETY 5
References
Chen, S. W., Liu, H., & Li, F. H. (2017). Analysis of Boeing 737 aircraft towing
accidents. Engineering Failure Analysis, 80, 234-240.
Gates, D. (2019). Flawed analysis, failed oversight: How Boeing, FAA certified the suspect 737
MAX flight control system. Retrieved from
https://www.seattletimes.com/business/boeing-aerospace/failed-certification-faa-missed
safety-issues-in-the-737-max-system-implicated-in-the-lion-air-crash/
Gates, D. (2019). Newly stringent FAA tests spur a fundamental software redesign of Boeing’s
737 MAX flight controls. Retrieved from https://www.seattletimes.com/business/boeing
aerospace/newly-stringent-faa-tests-spur-a-fundamental-software-redesign-of-737-max
flight-controls/
Johnston, P., & Harris, R. (2019). The Boeing 737 MAX Saga: Lessons for Software
Organizations. Software Quality Professional, 21(3), 4-12.
Levin, A., & Courtney, S. (2019). U.S. NTSB to Issue Recommendations on 737 Max
Certification. Retrieved from https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-07-24/u-s
safety-board-to-issue-737-recommendations-within-60-days
Leinfelder, A. (2019). Did Boeing, aviation industry heed lessons of 2009 Air France crash?
Retrieved from https://www.houstonchronicle.com/business/article/Did-Boeing-aviation
industry-heed-lessons-of-14369021.php
Moh, Z. C. (2016). Professionalism and Ethics of Engineering. GEOTECHNICAL
ENGINEERING, 47(4), 1-3.
Troshchenko, A., Kasdaglis, N., Bernard, T., & Stephane, L. (2017, March). Development of an
OpenGL stall recovery system in a restricted-resource Boeing 737 simulator with
external data feed for flight testing. In 2017 IEEE Aerospace Conference (pp. 1-8). IEEE.