One year after the Indonesia Lion Air flight 610 crash that killed 189 people, Boeing CEO, Dennis Muilenburg, was called to Congress for questioning. The statements made by Muilenburg during what was part of Congress’s investigation on the crash were ill-received by the victims, and their families and attorneys. According to the attorneys, the testimony reveals that Boeing values profit over safety.
Since the crash of Lion Air, several accusations have been levied against Boeing. Reports indicate that the plane manufacturer incorporated new and confusing software in the planes and failed to conduct proper pilot training. There are also allegations that a compliance regulatory agency failed to raise concerns about defects in the plane’s anti-stall system in a bid to get it onto the market quickly.
According to the accident reports, the plane’s software made it impossible for the pilots to reinstate manual control. Congress questioned why the pilots failed to complain about this defect and why it was not addressed before putting the plane on the market.
When questioned about these reports’ contents, Muilenberg told Congress, “We don’t ‘sell’ safety; that’s not our business model.” This response caused an uproar over Boeing’s disregard for the safety of its passengers. Visibly angry Congress members accused the CEO of placing profits over safety.
To date, there is little evidence of any proactive actions taken by the company to prevent future accidents. Congress holds that the company should have been able to deter the second crash by addressing the Lion Air incident reports.
Following these accusations, Muilenburg was dismissed as chairman of Boeing.
