Remember the recent LATAM (a Chilean Airline) flight to New Zealand that suddenly plunged a few thousand feet, injuring 50 passengers who were slammed into the ceiling? The mass media breathlessly rushed to report that once again a Boeing plane had a “technical issue.” It was news mainly because it was built by Boeing and was a problem with a different Boeing plane than the 737Max.

But now the truth is coming out. The Wall Street Journal is reporting that the so called “technical issue” had nothing to do with the plane design or the manufacturer. It was caused when a flight attendant (who was serving meals in the cockpit) accidentally pressed the switch that caused the pilot’s seat to move in its track, thereby pressing the pilot forward onto the control yoke and causing the plane to dive.

Wonder how quickly the media will retract their rush to judgment?

Yes, there is a lot of Boeing bashing going on recently but much of it may be deserved. First, let me say that I have always been a Boeing supporter and thought they made the best airplanes in the world. However, things changed at Boeing after the McDonnell Douglas merger, and not for the best. Upper management changed and started cutting costs by cutting corners and people. Speed and costs became more important than quality and safety. Boeing management became obsessed with keeping and maintaining the stock prices as high as possible. Their focus shifted from keeping customers happy and safe to keeping Wall Street happy.

This was exposed after the 737 Max crashes. Documents have been released that Boeing knew (and later lied about) the possible dangers with the MCAS system. Boeing knew all along that MCAS could be a problem but hoped they could "update" it and fix the issues while the aircraft was in service. Even after the crashes and Boeing knew that MCAS was at fault, they tried to shift blame to the airline and pilots.

MCAS description or operation was not described or even mentioned in the 737 Max manuals. Pilots and FAA inspectors did not even know it existed. In fact, Boeing employees were forbidden to mention MCAS to anyone outside the company, including the FAA. This was done by Boeing to speed up the certification of the Max aircraft by telling the airlines and pilots that the 737 Max flew exactly like the older 737s and required no additional training, an expensive cost for the airlines. All this has been revealed in released Boeing documents.

The door plug on Alaskan Airlines appears to be much the same. Boeing's first response was to blame its fuselage builders, Spirit Aerosystems, for shoddy build quality and poor quality control. Recently obtained documents now reveal that Boeing itself removed the door plug at its facility in Seattle and failed to reinstall the bolts that held the door in place. It also violated its own quality policies by NOT properly documenting the action of the door plug removal and replacement. Proper documentation would have ensured that an inspection of the reinstallation of the door plug would have taken place and the missing bolts would have been discovered. But this never happened.

Again, I am a Boeing supporter, and I truly hope they get their act together, but when they lie about their operations, and hide problems while not accepting responsibility for their actions, this becomes a huge problem for me. This is especially true when people's lives hang in the balance. These actions tell me they value money or share prices over the lives of the people who fly in and on their airplanes.

Management issues may also be apparent in other Boeing projects. The 777-9, the Air Force KC-46, and the Boeing Starliner commercial spacecraft have all experienced quality issues delaying their deliveries. I am sure regulators and customers of these aircraft are taking a much closer view of Boeing after the recent events.

Olives or even full meals I can do without. The four bolts securing a door blanking plate are a different matter. Also the software faults that caused over 350 passengers to lose their lives. There is no shortage of information about Boeing weakening their previous strict safety protocols in a chase for increased profit. Over 40+ years of air travel I have never worried about different manufacturers' quality controls but that has changed over recent years.
I trust that those who seem to suggest that there is nothing wrong with the current Boeing company actually still travel on their planes rather than just preaching loyalty from their rocking chairs.

Don't hold your breath. It used to be that the FCC required Radio and TV Stations provide programming for the public good with high standards. TV stations could lose their license if they repeatedly reported false news of violated standards of decency.

Today those guardrails are long gone and anything that gets viewers to tune in and watch ads, or better yet pay monthly fees to watch is pushed. Today, TV is pretty much some form of nicely packaged combination of fear, greed and sex.

The supreme court is deciding on how social media companies will be coerced and which special interests will be allowed to pollute the public's mind with propaganda.

At the end of the day, somebody has to be a trustworthy gatekeeper and reject messages that are harmful and not truthful, otherwise democracy cannot work.