According to media reports such as ABC and AP on the 15th, the Federal Aviation Administration of the United States stated that a Boeing 777 aircraft owned by All Nippon Airways of Japan collided with a Boeing 717 aircraft owned by Delta Air Lines of the United States.
Related
According to reports, on the evening of the 14th, the Boeing 777 aircraft suddenly collided with the rear of a Boeing 717 aircraft while taking off and taxiing at O'Hare International Airport in Chicago, USA. There are currently no reports of casualties, and the Federal Aviation Administration of the United States will investigate the accident.
The report states that it is currently unclear whether the cause of the accident is related to manufacturing defects in Boeing aircraft. Boeing representatives also did not comment on the collision incident.
Boeing aircraft has actually been deeply embroiled in public opinion recently.
On the 5th, shortly after taking off from Portland, an Alaska Airlines Boeing 737 MAX 9 aircraft experienced a closed hatch near the left wing of the cockpit detaching. Fortunately, the seat next to the fallen cabin door was unoccupied and the flying altitude was less than 5000 meters at that time.
On the 13th, a Boeing 737-800 aircraft owned by Japan's All Nippon Airways was found to have cracked glass in front of the cockpit while flying to Toyama Airport. The aircraft immediately returned to Sapporo's Shin Chitose Airport.
Although neither of the two accidents caused any casualties, it also made many people afraid and couldn't help but remind them of 2019. At that time, the Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft, which had two air accidents in less than five months, was grounded by multiple national airlines and suffered losses of over ten billion yuan.
Nowadays, the Federal Aviation Administration of the United States and European regulatory agencies have also ordered airlines to ground 737 MAX 9 aircraft. Several countries, including Indonesia, Mexico, and Panama, have also temporarily suspended Boeing's accident aircraft models.
It is reported that the aircraft involved in the "door drop" incident in the United States on the 5th was only delivered in November 2023 and has only flown 145 times. Although there is currently no report on the cause of the accident, United Airlines issued a statement on the 8th stating that the 737 MAX 9 aircraft was found to have loose bolts during inspection. "We have identified some issues that seem to be related to the installation of door plugs, such as the need for additional tightening of bolts." United Airlines did not disclose the specific number of loose bolts.
How could such a new aircraft have such significant defects in its doors and related components!
It is worth noting that according to the ASN Aviation Safety Database, there have been a total of 363 aviation accidents worldwide since 2020, with Boeing having a total of 30 accidents, accounting for 8.3%. A total of 363 accidents worldwide have resulted in 728 deaths, of which Boeing's 30 accidents directly led to 262 deaths, accounting for as much as 36%.
What's wrong with Boeing, a century old store?
In fact, Boeing's development is divided into two periods, namely "focusing solely on quality" and "making more money".
After its establishment in 1916, Boeing was an engineering association that took on the responsibility of producing stunning aircraft, placing design and quality above all else. It is precisely under such beliefs that Boeing has built one "Iron Army" in aviation history after another. The B-17 and B-29 bombers in World War II made great contributions to the victory of the Anti Sith War. The Boeing 707 established the basic configuration of contemporary commercial jet aircraft, and the 747 wide body airliner portrayed a legendary "Queen of the Air"
However, after the 1990s, Boeing underwent changes. According to media reports, Clive Irving, the author of "The Big Mac: The Manufacturing of Boeing 747," believes that the watershed was the "Century Merger" between Boeing and McDonnell Douglas in August 1997. "Although Boeing acquired the bankrupt McDonnell Douglas, McDonnell Douglas took over Boeing." After the merger, the Boeing executive team consisted of 18 people, including 7 from McDonnell Douglas, 10 professional managers, and only 1 from the original Boeing.
Boeing's new CEO, Phil Condit, delivered a transformative speech: "Boeing's primary task is no longer to manufacture new aircraft ahead of its peers. Our main task is to strive to create a development environment based on stable stock prices."
The approach of its competitor Airbus has caused Boeing to panic.
Especially in 2010, Airbus launched the more economical and comfortable A320neo, with a market share approaching 45%. Faced with the loss of major customers, Boeing decided to upgrade the 737, which was born in the 1960s, and promised to shorten the delivery time within 6 years. Boeing engineers are starting to rush to work at twice the speed.
However, competing with the A320, who is 20 years younger than oneself, and forcefully adopting the LEAP-1 engine with a larger diameter, really exceeds the ability of the elderly and short 737. What is even more concerning is that Boeing has halted the development of a brand new single aisle airliner, which is expected to take ten years, which is equivalent to losing its innovation ability and forcibly joining the track that others are better at.
Joining such a track greatly increases the likelihood of uncontrollable risks.
The New York Times conducted an investigation into Boeing's North Charleston factory in South Carolina, and found dangerous debris near the wiring under the cockpit. Some claimed to have found debris or even a ladder near the horizontal tail. The New York Times stated that Boeing has a culture of "often prioritizing production speed over quality.".
Although workers and managers have long had objections to these production processes and safety hazards, and some have even appealed against them, according to the Associated Press, the Federal Aviation Administration has been outsourcing some of the aircraft safety inspections that should have been carried out by regulatory authorities to aircraft manufacturers such as Boeing for decades in order to save costs.
That is to say, in terms of safety testing, Boeing serves as both an athlete and a referee.
The situation is difficult to improve at the moment. Boeing is an important part of the US military industrial complex and a crucial tool for the United States to exercise global hegemony. The unique political system of the United States is likely to provide a protective umbrella for Boeing. So, Boeing will only continue to be fearless.
Article | Reporter Leng Shuang