Ethics in Aviation: Boeing Company

 Ethics in Aviation

    What are Ethics? According to Merriam-Webster Dictionary (n.d.), it is a set of moral principles, theories of moral values, or put bluntly, dealings with what are considered good or bad. Ethical situations can occur daily and sometimes unintentionally. Famous questions concerning ethics include the story of the thief stealing food to feed their family, mistreatment of individuals based off race or financial background, and in recent years, the definition of what defines a person’s gender and how they should be treated in society. 

Boeing Company and Ethical Practices

    One ethical dilemma that I would like to discuss has to do with one aviation company and their choosing of profitable ventures (cheaper material, cutting corners, etc.) over ones that cost more but are safer.

    Boeing Company was founded in 1916 and has grown into a massive organization over the years. They have designed and produced a multitude of aircraft for both the civilian and military sectors. A famous aircraft that is still in use today is the Boeing 737. It has had a multitude of modifications and upgrades since its debut in 1964, from the 100 to 900 generation, and more modern MAX series, which is used up to its 10^th iteration. (Petrauskaite, 2022) However, in recent years this company has come under scrutiny in regards to doing what is profitable over doing what is right.

    In the years 2018 and 2019, Lion Air Flight 610 and Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302 respectfully, had accidents resulting in the death of 346 people. (NLPC 2025) According to investigations from the National Legal and Policy Center (2025), these incidents were caused due to the Maneuvering Characteristics Augmentation System (MCAS), software that would aid in flight stabilization. Boeing had hidden needed information about this system, thus pilots had insufficient training. Following these accidents, several 737 MAX aircraft were grounded and inspected, revealing areas where products were made swiftly instead of following safety protocols. (NLPC 2025) Messages surfacing in October 2019 revealed a technical pilot, Mark Forkner, mentioning the MCAS system running rampant in simulations to another pilot. Later documents released reveal Forkner mentioning the system being safe to FAA officials despite simulator tests. (Luna 2021) The MCAS system was implemented to compensate for heavier engines being installed on the planes and causing a tilt, nose up, in some scenarios. The two crashes were caused due to a faulty sensor, making the MCAS system push the aircraft nose down continuously. (Luna 2021)

    With the results of the investigation surfacing, the Boeing Company has had to make a payment of $2.5 Billion, with $500 million going to the loved ones affected by these crashes. The company had to rewrite the software (MCAS) and they returned the 737 MAX to service in November 2020. The first flight since a 20- month grounding was American Airlines 718, leaving Miami on December 29, 2020. (Luna 2021)

Personal Feelings

    I worked on aircraft daily while I was enlisted and the one thing that was stressed to me and my coworkers was that you do not sign off something as good when you know it is bad. I looked up what happened with Mark Forkner (Gates 2022), and found out he was acquitted after being the sole individual prosecuted with the 737 MAX crashes. While Gates (2022) also mentions that the likelihood of other individuals knowing about the safety concerns and that Forkner was likely a scapegoat, I could not believe it when I saw his acquittal. Other than money, where was the justice for the families?

References

Gates, D. (2022, March 28). StackPath. Www.aviationpros.com. https://www.aviationpros.com/aircraft/commercial-airline/news/21261904/why-boeing-pilot-forkner-was-acquitted-in-the-737-max-prosecution

Luna, N., Kaji, M., Maile, A., & Sweeney S. (2021, January 7). Boeing charged by DOJ with “conspiracy to defraud the US” over 737 MAX. ABC News. https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/boeing-charged-doj-conspiracy-defraud-us-737-max/story?id=75117122

Merriam-Webster. (n.d.). Ethic. In Merriam-Webster.com dictionary. Retrieved January 18, 2025, from https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ethic

Petrauskaite, G. (2022, October 11). The story of Boeing: from single plane to aerospace giant - AeroTime. AEROTIME Hub. https://www.aerotime.aero/articles/32338-story-of-boeing-from-single-plane-to-aerospace-giant

Staff, N. (2025, January 7). Boeing: A Legacy of Corruption and Catastrophe? - National Legal And Policy Center. National Legal and Policy Center. https://nlpc.org/corporate-integrity-project/boeing-a-legacy-of-corruption-and-catastrophe/