Flying Blind: The 737 MAX Tragedy and the Fall of Boeing by Peter Robison - (4/5)

The slow descent into modern corporate culture has had many effects on Boeing, with the lack of safety that caused the deaths of 346 people being one of them. Peter Robison’s exposing novel, Flying Blind: The 737 MAX Tragedy and the Fall of Boeing details the descent from greatness by chronicling the corporate decisions over the course of 50 years. Specifically, Robison targets the acquisition of McDonnell-Douglas and their President Harry Stonecipher, masterfully connecting the corporate buyout with the ensuing safety problems and concerns that have plagued Boeing ever since. The disturbing accounts of both the FAA and Boeing match the narrative perfectly, making the reader question how the powers at be could allow such egregious habits to form within both companies. The audience also learns that corruption is a widespread disease throughout both the U.S. government and Boeing, with both leaning too heavily on the cutthroat Jack Welch disciples who only care about stock valuation and pleasing a board of directors. The transition from "boyscout" engineers to the new hostile environment brought on by McDonnell-Douglas creates a divide within the company, eventually leading to disagreements over design and outsourcing of part production to save money. Of course, with lower costs comes lower reliability, but I'll let you read into the specifics of the poorly designed planes. The lack of a safety culture and transparency with customer airlines, as well as the FAA, eventually led to the 2018 Lion Air crash in Jakarta and the 2019 Ethiopian Airlines crash in Addis Ababa. Although corporate dramatics are not the most enticing thing to read, I thoroughly enjoyed Robison's narrative-style writing. The author also executes a feeling of corruption throughout when detailing the FAA, Boeing, or the government. Robison also takes an emotional approach towards the end of the novel that I felt was quite endearing, with his description of the victims' families from the Ethiopian Airlines and Lion Air flights making them quite refreshing in contrast to the careless Boeing, who still cause headaches for the families after the crash. Ultimately, Robison succeeds in shifting your opinion on the American icon Boeing, exposing their descent into chaos through the separation from their engineering roots. I highly recommend reading this story, just be prepared for an incriminating tale that reeks of dirt.