Boeing Safety: A Veteran Commercial Pilot Has A Surprising Take For Anyone Worried About Flying
In January 2024, the safety of Boeing's controversial aircraft — the 737 Max — was questioned again after an emergency door plug of Alaska Air Flight 1282 came off mid-flight shortly after take-off. While there was no loss of life, three passengers in the plane received minor injuries in the incident.
The incident couldn't have come at a worse time for Boeing, still recovering from the effects of the extended grounding of the Boeing 737 Max aircraft following a series of crashes involving the same aircraft type in 2018 and 2019. Following the incidents, Boeing had to subject the 737 Max to a recertification process before it was allowed to take to the skies again. The company also paid billions of dollars in fines, damages, and funds to the families of the victims of the crashes.
Despite being one of the most popular narrowbody aircraft of all time, these incidents seriously dented the image of the 737 aircraft and Boeing as a company. People also blamed a shift in Boeing's corporate culture — which prioritized profits over safety — as one of the reasons for the company's current state.
Following these incidents, people who were already wary of flying became even more skeptical and became genuinely terrified at the prospect of flying. Given the circumstances, their concerns are indeed rooted in reality.
However, should such thoughts take over passengers' minds before they board a flight? We posed the same questions to retired Captain Richard Levy, a veteran pilot with extensive experience flying Boeing aircraft. A simulator instructor at a major airline, he is also an aviation consultant who runs Aviation Expert Consulting.
What Captain Levy thinks of Boeing as a company
While there is no denying that Boeing has been in the news for alleged corporate malfeasance and manufacturing issues, Captain Levy opines that these incidents have not affected his opinion about the company. This opinion primarily stems from the fact that Captain Levy has amassed vast experience, flying extensively on Boeing-made planes for almost 41 years.
"From November 1977 until June 2018 I flew some 30,000+ hours in Boeing aircraft. Except for some almost routine and inconsequential defects, I never had any major emergencies. I have 100% confidence in the Boeing Aircraft Company and their aircraft," Captain Levy told SlashGear.
Despite this stance, he does add that Boeing should have followed better quality assurance norms when the rivets above the Alaska Airlines' plug-type door were repaired and were reinstalled on the fuselage. And while there is no harm in focusing on success and profits, Captain Levy says safety has to go far beyond that. The Captain is also hopeful that the forthcoming changes to Boeing's upper management should help Boeing turn things around as early as 2025.
"Boeing will be back. And increased production rates to satisfy the airline customers should hopefully resume near the end of the year or early in 2025," says Captain Levy.
Should passengers think twice before boarding a Boeing aircraft today?
While Boeing has itself to blame for all the trouble it finds itself in, Captain Levy says he will still not think twice before boarding a Boeing aircraft today. The Captain also states solid reasons for his affirmation. Most of these center around the rigorous and meticulous maintenance process each modern aircraft is subjected to.
According to Captain Levy, each aircraft has a logbook detailing the maintenance history of the aircraft. He also adds; "All types and levels of maintenance employees overlook the aircraft prior to departure."
Once outside the maintenance hangar, most aircraft also undergo a detailed inspection by the flight crew. This inspection includes a preflight inspection of the aircraft, and going through an extensive list of thorough preflight, taxi, and take-off checklists. Captain Levy also adds that the people in charge of the aircraft include people who have several hours of experience flying the aircraft and have passed numerous simulator and actual aircraft flight evaluations to be where they are today.
He added that it's not just the Captain alone who has the right to voice their opinion on any safety concerns while flying an aircraft.
"The Captain is working with one to three other very competent pilots on the flight deck. These other pilots also have the power and legal authority to voice their opinion on safety. All pilots must pass rigorous flight evaluations administrated by company Check Pilots and FAA Inspectors."
Given these extensive safety protocols and the fact that pilots and airline aircraft are always visible to many people, Captain Levy said he would not think twice about boarding a plane, regardless of whether it was made by Boeing or Airbus.