Widow says Boeing Max mid-air emergencies show a 'blatant disregard for human life'
Naoise Ryan with a photo of her late husband Mick. She says there has still been no accountability for the families who lost loved ones when a 737 Max crashed off Indonesia in 2018 and in Ethiopia in 2019
Naoise Ryan, whose husband was among the 346 people who died in two 737 Max plane crashes, said on Monday that everyone needs to know that the Boeing corporation is still showing "a blatant disregard for human life".
The widow of Mick Ryan, who was killed with 156 others when Ethiopian Airlines flight 302 crashed in 2019, was speaking following revelations that the troubled Max jets experienced at least six mid-air emergencies with the potential to end in tragedy in the year after the plane was deemed safe to fly.
An investigation by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) unearthed evidence that at least 60 mid-flight problems were reported by pilots, including one in which a pilot declared a mayday after the system controlling the pitch and altitude of the plane started malfunctioning.
“Former employees of both Boeing and the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) characterised the reports — which included engine shutdowns and pilots losing partial control of the plane — as serious and with the potential to end in tragedy,” the Australian national broadcaster reported.
“This is shocking beyond belief,” Ms Ryan said.
Were it not for the whistleblowers, we, the public, would never be aware of this until it was too late.”
Ed Pierson, a former senior production manager at Boeing and now whistleblower, told ABC that any one of the six flights reporting mid-air emergencies could have ended in tragedy.
“This is just unbelievable beyond words and totally unacceptable and irresponsible,” the Cork-based widow said.
“No one should ever have to experience what we have been through and are still going through because passenger safety is not being prioritised.”
Naoise Ryan has been fighting for justice since her husband, Mick Ryan, global deputy chief engineer of the World Food Programme, died. She says there has still been no accountability for the families who lost loved ones when a 737 Max crashed off Indonesia in 2018 and in Ethiopia in 2019.
A Boeing spokesperson said the reports of incidents did not “indicate a trend”, adding------ the reliability of the 737 Max was consistent with other commercial airplane models.
