What Really Brought Down the Boeing 737 Max? - The New York Times

Malfunctions caused two deadly crashes. But an industry that puts unprepared pilots in the cockpit is just as guilty. Credit... Photo illustration by Matt Dorfman Supported by By William Langewiesche O n Oct. 29, 2018, Lion Air Flight 610 taxied toward the runway at the main airport in Jakarta, Indonesia, carrying 189 people bound for Bangka Island, a short flight away. The airplane was the latest version of the Boeing 737, a gleaming new 737 Max that was delivered merely three months before. The captain was a 31-year-old Indian named Bhavye Suneja, who did his initial flight training at a small and now-defunct school in San Carlos, Calif., and opted for an entry-level job with Lion Air in 2011. Lion Air is an aggressive airline that dominates the rapidly expanding Indonesian market in low-cost air travel and is one of Boeing’s largest customers worldwide. It is known for hiring inexperienced pilots — most of them recent graduates of its own academy — and for paying them little and wor

Malfunctions caused two deadly crashes. But an industry that puts unprepared pilots in the cockpit is just as guilty. Credit... Photo illustration by Matt Dorfman Supported by By William Langewiesche O n Oct. 29, 2018, Lion Air Flight 610 taxied toward the runway at the main airport in Jakarta, Indonesia, carrying 189 people bound for Bangka Island, a short flight away. The airplane was the latest version of the Boeing 737, a gleaming new 737 Max that was delivered merely three months before. The captain was a 31-year-old Indian named Bhavye Suneja, who did his initial flight training at a sma