Inevitable, Dreadful, Unsurprising

Busy Calamondin: issuing fruit in spite of it all

The inevitable documentary about the multiple failures leading to the tragedies of Lion Air Flight 610 in October, 2018 and Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302 in March, 2019, where 346 people lost their lives, is playing on Netflix right now.

There was a fault in the software in the new Boeing 737 MAX that could cause a catastrophic malfunction surpassing the skills of even the most capable pilots ... and while the fault was predicted to happen rarely, Boeing knew but neglected to mention that the likelihood was greater than industry standards. 

So, the MAXes went into the air. Those in charge waited until the second dreadful event in March before they grounded the planes. 

It's unsurprising that Boeing blamed the crashes on the pilots and the airlines they flew for. The documentary blames Boeing's corporate decision to switch from a culture of safety to a laser focus on shareholder profit. 

After an enquiry found Boeing culpable, the Justice Department agreed not to prosecute. In return, Boeing paid $2.5 billion in penalties and compensation, which is small compared to what Boeing used to make in a year. And nowhere big enough for the families looking for accountability for the people who were killed. 

Also dreadful, and unsurprising, is Vladimir Putin's illegal invasion of the Ukraine. It may happen, as it did with Boeing, that existing institutions will catch up with this global criminal and make him pay. But, inevitably, innocent people will lose their lives and there will be no accountability.

Thanks for reading.

Karen

Ashbridges Bay icy bush.