The Ethiopia Airlines crash – Let our aviation expert help answer your questions

On Sunday, tragedy struck as a Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft crashed in Ethiopia killing 157 people. The cause of the crash is still not known. However, this is the second Boeing 737 MAX 8 to crash in short time. A Lion Air flight crashed into the Java Sea last October claiming 189 lives.

So far, Britain, China, Singapore, Australia and others have grounded all 737s.

In a statement issued by Boeing, the company is reiterating it has full confidence in the aircraft.

“Safety is Boeing’s number one priority and we have full confidence in the safety of the MAX. We understand that regulatory agencies and customers have made decisions that they believe are most appropriate for their home markets. We’ll continue to engage with all of them to ensure they have the information they need to have confidence in operating their fleets or returning them to service. It is also important to note that the Federal Aviation Administration is not mandating any further action at this time, and based on the information currently available, we do not have any basis to issue new guidance to operators.”

There are a lot of questions still to be answered.

• So, what could have gone wrong?
• How is a 737 different from other aircraft?
• Are countries rushing to judgement grounding planes?
• Is there anything Boeing could be or should be doing to mitigate concerns?
• Just how worried should travellers be about the safety of their aircraft.
• And if this is a technical flaw or issue – how will Boeing have to react?

There are a lot of questions to be answered and that’s where the experts from Farmingdale State College can help.

Dr. Michael Canders is an Associate Professor and Director of the Aviation Center at Farmingdale. He has flown airplanes and helicopters for over four decades and is an expert in aviation and flight safety. He holds an Airline Transport Pilot (ATP) rating from the FAA. Michael is available to speak specifically about this topic and the Boeing 737 MAX 8 – simply click on his icon to arrange an interview.