Tag:Boeing
Boeing’s Missteps Lead to Heavier Congressional Oversight
Boeing’s controversial history including the publicized suicide of one of its whistleblowers shortly before his deposition to TikTok videos of panels blowing off mid-air or planes catching fire have prompted public scrutiny. These events, mainly the latter, have raised also questions about Boeing’s compliance with Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) regulations the Department of Justice (DOJ) rulings. However, this is not the first time these concerns have come to light.
Turbulent Times: Boeing’s Ongoing Struggles with Safety and Compliance
Boeing is the world’s largest aerospace company, and the leading manufacturer of commercial jetliners. Its reputation as a highly profitable and respected corporation has dwindled over the last couple of years, and 2024 appears to be its worst year yet. Safety incidents involving particular Boeing models have triggered immediate safety concerns and have unearthed significant cultural and ethical challenges within the company. Actions of regulatory bodies tasked with ensuring company safety compliance and accident prevention have revealed a larger-scale issue with aviation industry safety, and the lack of meaningful reform by the Department of Justice (DOJ).
Congress Trades on Trust
When Nancy Pelosi releases financial disclosures related to stock trades, those disclosures are filed with the Clerk of the House of Representatives. The Clerk publishes all financial disclosures on clerk.house.gov under the “disclosures” tab. Shortly thereafter, Pelosi’s stock trading disclosures are re-published on TikTok and Reddit where Zoomers and Millennials are copying all of her trades. According to a Pelosi spokesperson, she does not “personally own any stocks and that the transactions are made by her husband”. The Stock Act requires Pelosi to disclose these transactions within 45 days due to the fact that they are made by a member of her immediate family.
“Grounding”: Federal Regulation in the Context of Aircraft Suspensions
On March 10, 2019, Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302 en route to Nairobi, Kenya crashed shortly after take-off leaving no survivors. It became the carrier’s most deadly crash and its first fatal crash since January 2010. Most notably, however, it was the second fatal crash involving Boeing’s new 737 MAX jet in less than five months after the Lion Air Flight 610 accident in October 2018. The day following the tragedy, Ethiopian Airlines grounded all of its Boeing 737 MAX 8 fleet until further notice. Many other airlines suspended operations of the aircraft as well and countless countries banned the 737 MAX from airspace.