Summary
- FAA finds Boeing may have quality issues
- FAA and NTSB blame MCAS for non-electrical problems
- Pierson claims manufacturing defects as the cause
A new set of documents released by the Foundation for Aviation Safety (an advocacy group founded by former Boeing employee and whistleblower Ed Pierson) suggests that an electrical defect may have caused the crash of Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302. The documents released on Thursday outlined a “a number of electrical problems” that were discovered when Boeing was assembling the Ethiopian Airlines jet that crashed in 2019.
The documents describe confusion and chaos at Boeing’s Renton factory, where the two 737 MAX planes were built and later crashed. The two crashes occurred in 2018 and 2019 and claimed the lives of around 346 people. In May 2024, the FAA said there was a “long road ahead” to restore Boeing’s safety culture.
FAA finds Boeing may have quality issues
In a 2018 report, the FAA found that employees at Boeing’s Everett plant were forced to work too fast and produced defective parts. The FAA report was a response to “At least two Boeing employees working at the Electrical Systems Responsibility Center (ESRC) in Everett, Washington, have submitted formal whistleblower complaints to the FAA.” At the Everett facility, workers prepared electrical parts for use in the 737 MAX aircraft.
Photo: VDB Photos | Shutterstock
The FAA found that Boeing management forced employees to work within deadlines, which could lead to defective parts in the electrical center. The FAA stated: “Boeing’s quality management forces employees to work within a certain deadline, which can result in defective parts leaving ESRC Boeing. Management has created one-minute check sheets for pre-inspections and threatened Quality Assurance with buying off work not completed by individual employees..” The FAA’s on-site investigation at the factory took place the same week that the Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302 aircraft was being built at the 737 plant in Renton.
According to Ed Pierson’s claims, the company is still affected by the same production problems today (although Boeing’s own internal safety reports suggest that the company has made significant improvements).
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FAA and NTSB blame bird strikes and MCAS
However, the FAA and NTSB blamed Boeing’s then-new software, the Maneuvering Characteristics Augmentation System (MCAS), for the Ethiopian Airlines crash. The Seattle Times writes: “Boeing recently pleaded guilty to misleading safety regulators about MCAS and the amount of training pilots need to fly safely..”
The NTSB concluded that a bird strike damaged a sensor and likely triggered the MCAS software (and therefore stated that it was not a defectively manufactured electrical part that caused an electrical failure). Ethiopian authorities, in turn, claimed that the MCAS software was triggered by “production quality defects.”
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Pierson claims manufacturing defects are to blame
Pierson suggests that the records and a previous safety incident indicate that the Ethiopian plane crash may have been caused by an electrical problem. According to Pierson, the problem dates back to manufacturing issues with electrical wire bundles. Pierson even goes so far as to claim that “Boeing was aware that production was an absolute disaster.”
Photo: Thiago B Trevisan | Shutterstock
Boeing has denied Pierson’s allegations. In December 2019, Boeing stated: “Importantly, Mr. Pierson’s suggestion that there is a connection between his concerns and the recent MAX accidents is completely unfounded. Mr. Pierson raises questions about the production of the 737 MAX, yet none of the agencies investigating these accidents have found that production conditions at the 737 factory contributed in any way to those accidents. And the suggestion of such a connection is contrary to the facts reported about those accidents..”
The Boeing statement continued: “We are confident that the NTSB and other accident investigation and regulatory agencies will adequately evaluate all possible causes of these accidents during their rigorous, comprehensive and independent reviews..” But the 2018 FAA report seems to indicate the opposite, supporting Pierson to some extent.
Ethiopian 737 MAX had an “uncommanded roll” months earlier
The released documents also indicate that communications between Boeing and Ethiopian Airlines indicate that the same 737 MAX aircraft that later crashed had experienced an in-flight safety incident months before the crash. According to the documents, Boeing told Ethiopian Airlines that the incident was likely due to an electrical fault.
The plane experienced an “uncontrolled roll” – an incident in which the aircraft rolls on its own, often frightening the pilot and putting him at risk of losing control. Boeing told Ethiopian Airlines that it was suspected to be an electrical fault and instructed the airline to check the wiring.
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Boeing employee becomes whistleblower
According to a website dedicated to Ed Pierson, “Ed Pierson, a former senior manager at Boeing’s 737 factory in Renton, Washington, raised concerns with his superiors about the dangerously unstable production environment and the risks to the safety of the aircraft. The factory suffered from overworked employees, chronic parts shortages, quality issues and relentless deadline pressures to deliver MAX aircraft. Ed recommended to Boeing leadership that production be halted before both crashes, but unfortunately his suggestion was ignored.”
Pierson worked for Boeing for over 10 years, serving as senior manager responsible for production systems support for 737 commercial aircraft and the military version of the 737 – the P-8 Poseidon aircraft. While still working for Boeing, in the summer of 2018 he complained about safety risks due to the hectic pace of production (he left Boeing in 2018).
His complaints were voiced months before the first fatal 737 MAX crash, but fell on deaf ears. Since then, he has repeatedly said that manufacturing defects played a role in the crashes. He says the MAX fleet remains unsafe.
