After two fatal crashes involving 737 Max aircraft, Boeing was largely spared criminal consequences in the USA. But that could change soon.
Boeing is threatened with new trouble with the US government. The US Justice Department concluded that the plane maker had violated terms of an agreement that previously shielded it from prosecution after two fatal plane crashes.
Boeing failed to implement a program designed to prevent violations of U.S. fraud laws, as agreed, court documents said. The government has said it has not yet decided how it will proceed with the matter.
Boeing was given until June 13 to provide an official response. In an initial reaction, the company emphasized that, in its own opinion, it had adhered to the agreement.
Was the software the reason for the crash?
346 people died when two 737-Max aircraft crashed in October 2018 and March 2019. According to investigations, one trigger for the accident was software in the aircraft that was supposed to support pilots, but interfered with the controls more than they expected. Boeing came under criticism because the aircraft manufacturer declared that special training for the software was unnecessary when the type was certified by US authorities.
According to the agreement with the US government, Boeing paid a penalty of 243 million dollars (225 million euros). The allegations of fraud in connection with the information provided to the US authorities were not pursued further. However, something like a probationary rule applied with the central requirement that Boeing implement a compliance and ethics program. The Ministry of Justice now emphasized that a violation of this could result in criminal prosecution of the company.
Another incident with Boeing 737-9 Max
The Max aircraft had to remain on the ground for a long time after the two crashes until Boeing carried out improvements. This year, the company was once again targeted by the authorities due to a dramatic incident. In January, a virtually new Boeing 737-9 Max from the US airline Alaska Airlines had a fuselage fragment fall out during climb shortly after take-off. However, by a lucky coincidence, the two seats near the hole in the fuselage remained empty and the aircraft was still at a relatively low altitude, so the incident was minor and no one was seriously injured.
The US government then opened an investigation and the aviation regulator FAA asked Boeing to submit a plan to improve quality controls. The authority also blocked Boeing’s planned expansion of 737 Max production until further notice.
Source: Stern
