BBM 208/05: Indonesian Air Authority Investigator Reported that the Jet should: Business Ethics Assignment, SMU, Singapore

Boeing 737 Max Lion Air crash caused by a series of failures

• A series of failures led to the crash of a Lion Air flight, which killed 189 people and led to the grounding of the Boeing 737 Max, a report has found.
• Investigators said faults by Boeing, Lion Air and pilots caused the crash.
• Five months after the disaster in October last year, an Ethiopian Airlines plane crashed, killing all 157 people on board, which led to the grounding of the entire 737 Max fleet.
• Faults with the plane’s design have been linked to both crashes.
• On Friday, air crash investigators in Indonesia released their final report, detailing the list of events that caused the Lion Air jet to plunge into the Java Sea.
• “From what we know, there are nine things that contributed to this accident,” Indonesian air accident investigator NurcahyoUtomo told reporters at a news conference.
• “If one of the nine hadn’t occurred, maybe the accident wouldn’t have occurred.”

Question 1. Indonesian Air Authority investigator reported that the jet should have been grounded before departing on the fatal flight because of an earlier cockpit issue. However, because the issue was not recorded properly the plane was allowed to take off without the fault being fixed. Should the Lion Air also bear responsibility for the crash? Why or why not?

Question 2. In the report, it is also stated that a crucial sensor – which had been bought from a repair shop in Florida – had not been properly tested but they were given certification by the US aviation regulator. Should the US Aviation regulator be held responsible for the crash? Why or why not?

Question 3. Indonesian investigators identified issues with the MCAS system, which repeatedly pushed the plane’s nose down, leaving pilots fighting for control. Do Boeing officials know about these horrifying problems with 737 Max planes? If yes, why do they still sell and approve for them to fly?

Question 4. Boeing boss Dennis Meulenberg was also stripped of his title as chairman by the board earlier this month but remains as chief executive. Should Dennis Muilenburg be terminated from his position as chairman and chief executive? Why or why not?

Question 5. Boeing said this week it had developed a training update and that it expected regulators to allow the planes to return to the skies before the beginning of 2020. Is updating the training sufficient to clear the 737 Max to fly again?