Boeing’s new chief executive appeared to blame pilots for the two 737 MAX crashes in a candid interview with The New York Times.
David Calhoun told the newspaper that pilots from Indonesia and Ethiopia “don’t have anywhere near the experience that they have here in the US”. He added the planemaker made a “fatal mistake” by assuming those flying the aircraft would immediately counteract software failures, which played a role in both accidents.
In a wide-ranging discussion that took place months into his tenure, he also criticised his predecessor and referenced talks with President Donald Trump.
Boeing’s previous chief executive, Dennis Muilenburg, was fired in December. It came after the two 737 MAX crashes, which killed 346 people as well as setbacks that included the shutdown of the 737 factory last year.
The 737 MAX has been grounded for a year by regulators around the world, and Boeing has faced a series of delays in returning the aircraft to service. Industry rumours now suggest it will return to service in a few months.
In his most controversial remarks with reporters, Calhoun appeared to imply inferior standards in Indonesia and Ethiopia, where the captains flew, played a part in the accidents.
The New York Times then claimed Calhoun asked to speak off the record when journalists asked him if American pilots would have been able to handle the software malfunction.
When the newspaper demanded an on-the-record response, he said, “Forget it. You can guess the answer.”
He also spoke at lengths about the problems Boeing now faces as it scrambles to return the 737 MAX to service, and took a swipe at his predecessor, Muilenburg.
“It’s more than I imagined it would be, honestly. And it speaks to the weaknesses of our leadership. Boards are invested in their CEOs until they’re not. We had a back-up plan. I am the back-up plan,” Calhoun said.
He was also asked if he felt his predecessor was well judged to begin ramping up production rates before many believed the supply chain was ready.
“I’ll never be able to judge what motivated Dennis, whether it was a stock price that was going to continue to go up and up, or whether it was just beating the other guy to the next rate increase,” Calhoun said.
“If anybody ran over the rainbow for the pot of gold on stock, it would have been him.
“If we were complacent in any way, maybe, maybe not, I don’t know. We supported a CEO who was willing and whose history would suggest that he might be really good at taking a few more risks.”
He also claimed President Trump “wants us to get back on our horse” and “to get the MAX flying again, safely”.
