B-737 Max: That spin by New York Times & Washington Post

By Kelech Deca

I read some African based news organizations swallow line hook and sinker, the propaganda dished out from the stable of Boeing Inc. using two of America's most respected newspapers to buy legitimacy.


It is regretable that most African journalists are yet to understand the kind of "interest" battle the so called developed world subtly engages in on daily basis.

It is dramatic that with all evidence skewed against as more revelations pour in, showing how reckless it has conducted its businesses in an area where safety should not be compromised, that Boeing tried to shift the blame to the young pilot by claiming that he was not trained to fly the B 737 Max.


Tellingly, both newspapers, and hundreds of those that republished that story, deliberately or ignorantly failed to point out the fact that the said pilot completed the Boeing recommend and FAA approved differences training from the B-737 NG aircraft before the phase in of the B-737 Max fleet to Ethiopian Airline's operation and before they started flying the B-737 Max 8.

Equally interesting is how they tried to inpugn on the integrity of the dead pilot by quoting an 'unnamed source' as saying that the pilot didn't get the chance to use the B-737 Max simulator. A claim the airline has refuted. Ethiopian Airline has the best and most updated training institute for aviation in Africa. Over 65% of professionals in the aviation sector across African go to Ethiopia for training, so why wouldn't they train their own pilots?

Moreso, the B-737 Max full flight simulator was not designed to simulate the MCAS system problems, which has been identified as being the main culprit for the crashes. So how do they expect pilots to know how to handle challenges arising from the MCAS system?

This is same company it was revealed, kept a very vital safety feature as an extra to be acquired by airlines at a higher price. It is like selling a car without brakes, then expecting the buyer to pay separately for brakes while also refusing to educate him on how vital the brakes are.


Four things helped turn the table. First, Ethiopian government took that bold and courageous step to take the Black Box to France, instead of the United States. Second, China speedily grounded the B-737 Max, giving many smaller countries cover to do so as soon as Europe followed suit. Fourth, that crash did not kill only Africans, if not...hmmmmm.

This is a basket case in public relations. Boeing should stop digging and start doing the needful. This is shameful for a major airline manufacturer that has been in operation for over a century. Mr. William Edward Boeing would surely turn in his grave.