Blog #5: Boeing 737 MAX

Authors: Anvith Potluri, Kevin Li, Kevin Nguyen, & Varad Thorat

Although it was a combination of several factors, the most important of them that led to the crashes would be the design of the engines. It was discovered that the 737 Max aircraft had larger engines made than according to the designs, which “changed the aerodynamics of the plane.” (Gelles) This led to an improper design which fundamentally changed the physics of the plane, resulting in an ineffective machine.

One thing that a junior engineer could have done is to hold themselves to a higher standard. The engineer could make sure that whatever part they are working on is as flawless as can be. If the engineer finds out that other people are slacking off, then that engineer could try to confront them and try to persuade them to do their work correctly.

The employees are ethically obligated to take action if they find an error. From a consequentialist framework, they need to fix any error they find. Many people’s lives depend on the aircrafts being fully functional, hence the employees’ actions could have disastrous results if they are negligent in their work. There have already been instances where these horrific crashes have occurred, and in order to prevent such tragedies from happening again, the employees need to make sure they are producing properly constructed air-crafts.

One of the ethical issues that apply to this case is the concept of moral muteness. It is evident that this is occurring at Boeing. Several employees have commented on the corruption that lies in the company, yet many of them have not done anything to combat this injustice. (Yglesias) This culture of creating problematic aircrafts is so ingrained that it is difficult to speak up against it, which reflects upon the issue of moral muteness.

Sources:

Gelles, David. “’I Honestly Don’t Trust Many People at Boeing’: A Broken Culture Exposed.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 10 Jan. 2020, www.nytimes.com/2020/01/10/business/boeing-737-employees-messages.html.

Yglesias, Matthew. “The Emerging 737 Max Scandal, Explained.” Vox, Vox, 29 Mar. 2019, www.vox.com/business-and-finance/2019/3/29/18281270/737-max-faa-scandal-explained.