Episodes

  • Why the Boeing 737 MAX 8 crashes deserve a deeper look

    Why the Boeing 737 MAX 8 crashes deserve a deeper look
    Jul 24 2024
    A three-minute introduction to this podcast series on the Boeing 737 MAX 8 disasters in 2018 and 2019. Learn about the scope of this story (from design and development to the two crashes to the ongoing conflicts over cause and responsibility) and why my telling of this story can change the way you think about complex organizational failure and the risk problems in big business today. The 12-episode audio podcast premieres on Tuesday, July 30, 2024, with episodes debuting each Tuesday.
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    4 mins
  • Much More Than Meets the Eye

    Much More Than Meets the Eye
    Jul 29 2024
    In this first episode, I lay the foundation of this podcast series with a concise summary of the remarkable Boeing 737 MAX 8 story. I'll address the two crashes in 2018 (Lion Air Flight 610) and 2019 (Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302), the discovery of MCAS as the technical trigger of the flight emergencies, the investigations and public reactions, and the key outcomes. I'll then lay out the most striking questions that emerge -- many still unanswered. Access detailed show notes at: www.bradivie.com/podcast.
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    31 mins
  • Sorting Through the Clustershambles

    Sorting Through the Clustershambles
    Aug 6 2024
    In this second episode, I define the term “maximum clustershambles” and explain the concept of the “Framework of Failure." I will also introduce five major themes that run throughout the story and lay out how the series is organized. Access detailed show notes at: www.bradivie.com/podcast.
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    35 mins
  • Context: Setting the Stage, Part 1

    Context: Setting the Stage, Part 1
    Aug 13 2024
    In this episode, we explore the fascinating historical and economic backdrops of commercial transportation, the Boeing Company, and the evolving landscape of commercial aviation. We will examine how these elements influenced decisions that ultimately led to the creation of the Boeing 737 MAX 8, including the program's key priorities and design philosophy. This episode addresses two of the four forces that have shaped aircraft design and manufacturing: the airline marketplace and aeronautical technology. Access detailed show notes at: www.bradivie.com/podcast.
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    46 mins
  • Context: Setting the Stage, Part 2

    Context: Setting the Stage, Part 2
    Aug 20 2024
    I conclude our examination of key forces that have shaped aircraft design and manufacturing – and subsequently, the MAX 8 – by addressing major trends in manufacturing operations and the regulatory environment. Then, we turn to the MAX's origin story and the context it set for design. The competitive threat posed by the Airbus A320neo created dilemmas for Boeing that constrained its options. Emerging from this were three critical program business imperatives that profoundly shaped how program leadership thought and acted, setting the stage for risky decision-making. Access detailed show notes at: www.bradivie.com/podcast.
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    35 mins
  • Structure: MCAS is Conceived

    Structure: MCAS is Conceived
    Aug 27 2024
    Here, we examine the design of MCAS in detail. This gets technical, as it needs to be if you want to understand precisely how a dangerous system came to be. The details of the story reveal many questionable decisions made during six years of routine engineering work. Yes, Boeing took the easiest route to solve an apparently modest flight control problem. However, the story doesn’t demonstrate an overt intent to deploy an unsafe system, nor does it disclose any violation of regulations. Rather, we see a narrow following of the rules without sufficiently questioning the end result. Access detailed show notes at: www.bradivie.com/podcast.
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    47 mins
  • Structure: MCAS Drifts

    Structure: MCAS Drifts
    Sep 3 2024
    This is a pivotal moment in the story. A system (with a modest risk rating) already in place to address a very rare flight maneuver was then applied and modified to a new and more common situation without much debate about the implications of this change. There was a striking lack of imagination about how this new design could go wrong. How could this have happened? Access detailed show notes at: www.bradivie.com/podcast.
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    49 mins
  • Occurrence: The Lion Air Disaster

    Occurrence: The Lion Air Disaster
    Sep 10 2024
    The tragic crash of Lion Air Flight 610 marked the beginning of a dark chapter for the Boeing 737 MAX 8, exposing critical design flaws and systemic failures. This was not an isolated event—warnings had surfaced in a prior flight emergency and in other issues on earlier flights. Yet these red flags were ignored. This episode examines the days leading up to the crash, the immediate fallout, and how the aviation industry’s failure to address the flawed MCAS system set the stage for a second tragedy. Instead of confronting the dangers, Boeing and regulators obscured the risks, withheld vital information from pilots and airlines, and promoted procedural changes by pilots while working in the background to modify MCAS’s fatal design. Access detailed show notes at: www.bradivie.com/podcast.
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    38 mins