‘Clowns’ and ‘Monkeys’ Join Boeing’s Sad Circus
There’s nothing “proactive” about releasing years-old internal emails this deep into the 737 Max crisis.
Boeing’s performance in the 737 Max saga has been anything but applause-worthy.
Photographer: AJ/Pool/Getty Images
And you thought Boeing Co. couldn’t possibly have another “what were they thinking” 737 Max moment.
Late Thursday, the airplane maker released a stunning batch of internal messages that paint a disturbing picture of employees’ efforts to avoid more rigorous scrutiny of the troubled Max and ensure only minimal training was required for pilots. The employees derided certain airline customers, spoke of deceiving the Federal Aviation Administration and expressed concern about technical issues with the simulators for the Max. “This airplane is designed by clowns,” who in turn are “supervised by monkeys,” said one company pilot in a message to a colleague. A 2013 document emphasizes the need to downplay the impact of a new flight-control software system to avoid greater certification and training requirements; that same software system has been blamed for two fatal crashes of the Max, which prompted a worldwide grounding that still persists.