Deconstructing the NTSB 737 Max Safety Recommendations

Episode 4 In their latest podcast (#4) Former NTSB Board Member John Goglia and former NTSB Lead Investigator Greg Feith dissect the recently released Boeing 737 MAX Safety recommendations issued by the NTSB. The Detectives criticize the recommendations because they task the FAA and aircraft manufacturers with "dumbing down" the latest generation commercial airplanes to make up for the incompetent or unqualified pilots who may be flying these airplanes in the future. Feith says that "these recommendations are an embarrassment and an insult to the well-trained men and women who spend hundreds of hours in training and are capable, competent and well qualified to handle any issue that they may face." The National Transportation Safety Board has released its first wave of safety recommendations [https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/trafficandcommuting/ntsb-cites-competing-pilot-warnings-and-flawed-safety-assumptions-on-boeing-737-max/2019/09/25/72291a2e-dfa6-11e9-be96-6adb81821e90_story.html] in the wake of the October 2018 Lion Air and the March 2019 Ethiopian Airlines crashes involving Boeing 737 Max planes. In this episode, Greg Feith and John Goglia not only question the validity of those recommendations, but also highlight the importance of pilot experience and training.