There have been a lot of airplane crashes in recent history, all of which were unnecessary. Foreign-based airlines tend to not service their aircraft as well as U.S.-based airlines, which is part of the problem, but there is no excuse for so many aircraft crashes and accidents.

 

Boeing 737 MAX Planes

The recent issues with the 737 MAX 8 and 737 MAX 9 bring up aircraft safety as a major issue, especially considering that the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) failed to ground the planes for 2 days while the problem was clearly known throughout the media, likely due to caving into the messaging that was coming from Boeing. Patrick R. McElhiney clearly knew there was a problem with the planes, and discussed the matter with his mother the day of the Ethiopian Airlines accident, because the description of the accident was identical to the previous crash by Lion Air in Indonesia. The safety of people shouldn't be put in secondary to the pride of any airline or airplane manufacturer, and the sheer number of groundings before the FAA announcement showed that there was clearly panic throughout the world as a result to the limited amount of information that was available to the public.

The MCAS system aboard the aircraft may be to blame for the crashes, which causes the plane to nose dive when the autopilot isn't engaged early on in the flight, according to indications from some pilots. This hidden technology that cannot be turned off, that is likely the cause of these crashes, is a big civil and potentially criminal liability for Boeing, because the accidents happened not because of pilot error but because of a systematic error aboard the airplane. The problem can likely be fixed very easily with a software update, but this incident will forever be in the minds of people around the world, that will wonder when they are using or aboard some piece of equipment that relies on these types of complex systems, will it take my life? Patrick R. McElhiney doesn't believe that the trade of America should be placed above the safety of customers around the world, just because Boeing says the aircraft are safe, and they should have to demonstrate to the public how the aircraft cannot have that type of problem again with extensive testing before the aircraft is allowed to fly passengers again.

Boeing should have taught pilots flying the 737 MAX 8 and 737 MAX 9 more about the MCAS, instead of them learning on their own how to control the plane when it tries to take a nose dive. It also should have provided all of the safety features that would have prevented the problem, in addition to any other safety features that could prevent other types of problems with the planes, without any additional costs. Patrick thinks they should be required to provide all of these safety features for free, now, due to the aircraft being grounded, before they are allowed to be re-certified for flight. The safety of passengers shouldn't be limited based on options that the airline purchasing the aircraft could decide to save money and not include important features that they may need to ensure safe flight of the aircraft. There should also be mandatory training regarding the MCAS provided to all 737 MAX 8 and 737 MAX 9 pilots, before they are allowed to fly those planes again.

In June, United cancelled all flights using the 737 MAX through August, bringing it in line with the other major airlines. The FAA Administrator said there's not a timeline for re-certification of the 737 MAX. Additionally, the FAA found that 312 of the Boeing 737 MAX planes on the tarmac have faulty wing parts that also must be replaced before the planes are re-certified.

 

Military Aircraft Crashes

Patrick R. McElhiney has always been very concerned about the excessive and unnecessary number of aircraft accidents in the U.S. military, and has reached out to elected leaders many times about the concern. At times, there have been more than 3 aircraft crashes per week involving military aircraft not in combat environments. In fact, there are unquestionably more aircraft crashes in non-combat situations than in combat situations with regards to the U.S. military. These excessive crashes are mostly due to maintenance issues and the aging aircraft of the U.S. military. Planes such as the B-52 are over 50 years old, and are still being used despite the Air Force having newer aircraft available for the same types of missions. This is the same situation with fighter jets as well - the F-15 is still being used, despite the availability of the F-22 and F-35. Older aircraft have more flight hours on them, and are more involved to service than newer aircraft because they have more aging parts that need to be replaced. Something needs to be done about the aging aircraft of the U.S. military to ensure that there are as little number of aircraft crashes as possible, because even one crash is one too many! Some U.S. residents have even found parts of military aircraft falling into their front yard from the sky!

 

Military Pilot Safety

Patrick believes that more needs to be done to protect frequent flyers from developing blood clots. One of Patrick's family members who serves in the U.S. Air Force developed a blood clot after flying back from the Middle East in 2019, even after wearing the protective suit that is meant to prevent these types of incidents. Patrick almost lost a beloved family member due to this issue, and expects that something will be done to change the way the U.S. Air Force and other aircraft flyers in the military protect pilots and aviators from developing blood clots, or other issues with not getting enough air to the brain. The problem is especially prevalent in the new F-22 and F-35 planes, that can starve the pilot from oxygen if the protective gear malfunctions. Military personnel on cargo planes should be able to get up and move around inside the plane's cargo section to avoid blood clots as well. There have been countless military aircraft accidents, especially with the F-22 and F-35 due to problems with the pilots not getting enough oxygen - just in June of 2019 there was a crash of a F-35 in Japan. Something needs to be done to put pilot safety first, because when the pilot can't fly the plane, it's another multi-million dollar military asset that bites the dust.

 

Separation of FAA from Aircraft Manufacturers

There needs to be a steal wall put up in-between the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and aircraft manufacturers. There should be a Congressional investigation into how the FAA was meddling in Boeing to get its 737 Max planes approved through regulations. Even the Defense Secretary was investigated for his role in the company before he started working for the Defense Department. There have been a lot of problems associated with Boeing getting its grubby hands into the government's business of ensuring that aircraft are safe for flying passengers. This Congressional investigation, and the resulting regulations, should improve the world's confidence in American airplanes and the FAA. There is currently a lawsuit on behalf of the passengers of the two 737 MAX aircraft crashes against the FAA, and there are going to be a lot of legal consequences due to the meddling between the FAA and Boeing - we need to ensure that it never happens again!