According to the National Safety Council, there is a 1 in 103 chance of dying in a motor vehicle crash and only a 1 in 188,364 chance of dying as a passenger on an airplane. In fact, you are more likely to die from an accidental gun discharge, sunstroke, or bee stings than you are from being a passenger on an airplane.1 So when two Boeing 737 Max 8 planes crashed within 5 months of each other, it sparked concern from around the world and caused the grounding of 737 Max 8 planes. As an aircraft dispatcher school in Florida, we are following the story closely and will monitor how this incident could affect flight dispatcher training in the future.
Grounded Boeing Planes
The first plane crash was a Lion Air plane that
took off in Jakarta and experienced problems just minutes in to the flight. All
the passengers were killed. The second plane crash was on Sunday, March 10, when
an Ethiopian Airlines flight crashed just minutes after take-off from Addis
Abada, Ethiopia. There were no survivors.
After two crashes so close together from the same model
plane, the world became concerned. The Boeing 737 Max 8 is a new model that was
first flown less than two years ago. It appears that both flights had problems
with the faulty anti-stall system, which is supposed to direct the nose of the
plane down if it seems to be too high.
Germany, France, Australia, China, the United
Kingdom, and more immediately called for the grounding of 737 Max 8 planes and
the removal of them from their airspace.2 Although there were ground
Boeing planes around the world, Boeing did not believe this was necessary. On
Wednesday, March 13, the Federal Aviation Administration, FAA, finally followed
suit by grounding 737 Max 8 planes in the United States after international
pressure.
The grounded Boeing Planes will remain grounded
until test flights prove that the model is safe, and the faulty software is
fixed. Unfortunately, this may still be awhile away. On March 27, a test flight
was done in Orlando, Florida, but the plane was forced to make an emergency
landing just ten minutes into the flight.3
Concerns for the Future
The grounded Boeing planes spark concerns
surrounding the aviation industry. Many flights have been cancelled or delayed
as a result of the grounding. It is possible that these malfunctions could lead
to safety changes in the industry. Because flight dispatchers are responsible
for intensive flight plans, this event could even lead to changes to airline
dispatcher training in the future.
At Sheffield School of Aeronautics, we provide flight dispatcher training. Our dispatcher
program will do our best to keep you up-to-date on the latest changes in the
industry. If you are looking to get your FAA aircraft dispatchers license, get
started today at our aeronautics
school.
Sources:
- National Safety Council- Odds of Dying
- CNN- The world is grounding 737 Max planes. Why isn’t Boeing?
- DW- Boeing 737 MAX makes emergency landing in Florida
