Boeing 737 crashes Survivors demand 25 billion fine for Boeing
The crashes of two 737 Max aircraft in 2018 and 2019 are still haunting Boeing. CEO Dave Calhoun gets a taste of this at a hearing.
20.06.2024, 15:15
20.06.2024, 15:31
dpa
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- Boeing CEO Dave Calhoun apologizes in the US Senate to the bereaved families of the 737 Max crash victims and emphasizes Boeing's increased focus on safety.
- The survivors are demanding a 25 billion dollar fine for Boeing and criminal penalties for former executives, including former CEO Dennis Muilenburg.
- The Boeing 737 Max 8 crashes in 2018 and 2019 were caused by problems with the MCAS assistance software, forcing Boeing to ground the planes for nearly two years until changes were made.
- In March 2024, Boeing announced the resignation of CEO Dave Calhoun at the end of the year, while Senator Richard Blumenthal called for a major course correction at Boeing and the US Department of Justice is considering renewed criminal prosecution of the company.
At a hearing in the US Senate, Boeing CEO Dave Calhoun apologized to the bereaved families of victims of the two 737 Max plane crashes in 2018 and 2019. The accidents claimed the lives of 346 people.
"I apologize for the suffering we have caused," Calhoun said on Tuesday, addressing several bereaved families present in the hall. Boeing is placing an increased focus on safety in memory of the victims.
Survivors demand 25 billion dollar fine
Surviving relatives of victims of two plane crashes are demanding a billion-dollar fine for Boeing. According to a written demand from the families, the US Department of Justice should impose a fine of 24.8 billion dollars (23.1 billion euros) and take criminal action against the aircraft manufacturer. A large fine is justified "because Boeing's crime is the deadliest corporate crime in U.S. history," wrote Paul Cassell, a lawyer for the families.
In a letter to the Department of Justice, Cassell also called for the government to prosecute employees who were at the helm of Boeing at the time of the crashes in 2018 and 2019 - including then-CEO Dennis Muilenburg.
A total of 346 people died in the accidents. The first crash occurred in October 2018, when a Boeing 737 Max 8 belonging to the Indonesian airline Lion Air crashed into the Java Sea. The second crash occurred in March 2019, when an Ethiopian Airlines 737 Max 8 crashed almost vertically into a field six minutes after take-off in Addis Ababa.
Problems with assistance software
The aircraft crashes were caused by problems with assistance software. The system, called MCAS, was designed to help pilots control the aircraft in certain situations. In both cases, however, they were surprised by a clear and incorrect intervention by the software.
Boeing had admitted at the time that the company had not correctly informed the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) about the extent of the pilot training required to operate the software. Calhoun reiterated on Tuesday: "MCAS and Boeing are responsible for these crashes." After the second accident, 737 Max aircraft remained on the ground for almost two years until changes were made to the system.
Series of breakdowns in 2024
Recently, several technical breakdowns on Boeing aircraft have caused uncertainty. At the beginning of the year, part of the cabin wall of an Alaska Airlines Boeing 737 MAX 9 broke out during flight. The plane had to make an emergency landing. As a result, the FAA ordered a temporary ban on 737 MAX aircraft in January. This affected 171 aircraft.
"Alaska was a production error," said Calhoun on Tuesday. However, he emphasized that this was also the only case he was aware of among the most recent mishaps in US aviation that could be traced back to production and not subsequent maintenance.
At the beginning of March, a tire fell off a United Airlines Boeing 777 shortly after take-off from San Francisco. In May, New Zealand authorities announced an investigation after several passengers were injured on a Boeing 787 Dreamliner flight from Sydney to Auckland during severe turbulence.
Calhoun resigns
In March, Boeing announced Calhoun's resignation at the end of the year. The chairman of the committee, US Senator Richard Blumenthal, urged Boeing to make a "course correction", which would have to involve more than just replacing a manager.
The hearing was also attended by a small group of relatives who lost family members in the Boeing crashes of 2018 and 2019. They held up pictures of the victims at the beginning of the hearing. The US Department of Justice had stated in May that the company could be prosecuted again for the crashes.
