"These loved ones never had a chance. They were in flying coffins..." Boeing CEO's faced some severe criticism before Congress about the 737 Max crashes that killed 346 people.
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00:00My anger has only grown.
00:07These loved ones lost lives because of an accident that was not only preventable as the chairman said at the very start, but was the result of a pattern of deliberate concealment.
00:24Boeing came to my office shortly after these crashes and said they were the result of pilot error.
00:33Those pilots never had a chance.
00:36These loved ones never had a chance. They were in flying coffins as a result of Boeing deciding that it was going to conceal MCAS from the pilots.
00:51And the best evidence is this message from Mark Faulkner saying in effect we're going to conceal MCAS, delete it from the manual used in training.
01:10When did you become aware of the fact that MCAS was not going to be included in the flying manual?
01:21Senator, first, if I could express my deep sympathies for the families.
01:29You've done that and my time is limited. I apologize for interrupting you, but I want to know specifically when you became aware of this effort.
01:40Senator, I can't reference that email. I'm not sure.
01:45I'm not asking about the email. You've been asked about the email already. I'm asking you about Boeing policy as reflected in this email.
01:54Its chief test pilot deciding he was going to mislead pilots who were then going to take passengers into the air, these loved ones, and turn those planes into flying coffins.
02:10Senator, I'm not sure what Mr. Faulkner meant by that email. I can tell you that certification and training materials are not determined by one individual.
02:22Well, in fact, let me just interrupt you again. In the over 1,600-page original flight manual of Boeing 737 MAX, the aircraft's new MCAS computer system was mentioned only once, once, in 1,600 pages, in the glossary of abbreviated terms.
02:45So when Boeing came to us and they said it's the pilot, inexperienced pilot, you were lying to us as well.
02:53Senator, if I could try to respond to your question. First of all, the premise that we would lie or conceal is just not consistent with our values.
03:05Well, I know it's not consistent with the values that you're articulating here, but let me just, since my time is limited, move on.
03:12Would you agree that this system of certification and oversight is absolutely broken? That's the lesson here, isn't it?
03:23That Boeing lobbied the Congress for more delegation, and now we have to reverse that delegation of authority. Would you support those legislative efforts?
03:33Senator, again, I support taking a hard look at the delegated authority.
03:37I'm not asking you for a hard look. I'm asking you for a commitment here because you have the opportunity to make things right.
03:46Senator, I'm not familiar with particular legislation, but I'm committed to working and supporting.
03:53Boeing asked for the legislation that exists right now. Will you commit to supporting reform efforts such as many of us on this committee have advocated?
04:02Senator, we'll commit to participating in those reform efforts and providing our inputs.
04:08Well, I agree that your input would be valuable. I'm looking for input in support of reform that will stop outsourcing by the FAA.
04:21And I might just add, the FAA has been really disappointing in its disclosure to us. This is an example of the kind of disclosure the FAA has given us.
04:29Total redaction. I've asked for full disclosure of documents. The FAA has failed to provide them. I've asked for the FAA to return my phone calls. It's failed to do so.
04:40And I think the FAA is part of this problem as well. And it is the result, at the end of the day, of Boeing rushing this process.
04:52I'm using the chairman's term. Putting profits over safety. Rushing the certification process with you in charge of that certification.
05:05And prioritizing speed and cost over safety. And my time has expired, but the folks who really deserve time here are the people who lost loved ones.
05:20Thank you, Senator Blumenthal.