It could have been a lot worse. It could have been a deadly tragedy.
That’s what the head of the National Transportation Safety Board investigating the blow-out of a panel of the fuselage of that Alaska Airlines 737 Max 9 plane last weekend said this week. Also saying it are airline industry and safety experts who also are saying it should not have happened.
And now the head of Boeing is saying much the same thing. Boeing CEO Dave Calhoun said there were mistakes that were made and says the company will ensure an accident like the mid-air Alaska Airlines panel blowout "can never happen again." And Boeing’s top official for airplane manufacturing acknowledges "the real seriousness of the accident".
While it was not a worse accident, the grounding of the planes has not only forced cancellations of hundreds of flights, inconveniencing thousands of passengers, it also can make people worry about airline safety.
Flying is still the safest form of transportation by far, with more than 87,000 flights every day across the country and with decades and decades of history of very rare accidents. That’s something important to keep in mind.
But when there are questions about being able to trust a huge company like Boeing, it’s going to be just as important to make sure the company does do what it’s CEO said, that it can never happen again.
(Photo Getty Images)