Former Boeing Manager and Whistleblower Won't Fly on a Boeing Max Plane

Image taken from Kiro 7’s recent interview with Ed Pierson

In a revealing interview with KIRO 7 News, Ed Pierson, a former Boeing manager turned whistleblower, voiced his ongoing concerns about the safety of Boeing 737 Max jets. Pierson's warnings are not new; he has been vocal about the potential safety risks associated with these aircraft for years. His apprehension was further substantiated by a recent incident where a Boeing 737 MAX had to make an emergency landing after a door plug blew out mid-flight. Pierson expressed his lack of surprise at this event, noting, "This was no surprise, unfortunately," and added, "for those of us that have been monitoring what’s been going on for a while with the MAX it really wasn’t a surprise sadly”.

Pierson's concerns about the 737 MAX stem from his time working at Boeing's factory in Renton, Washington, where he observed a decline in working conditions starting in 2017. He linked these deteriorating conditions to an increase in human error and safety incidents. In June 2018, he contacted the manager of the 737 program, requesting a meeting and urging a temporary shutdown of the factory to allow workers to recuperate. Pierson left Boeing in August 2018, citing unresolved safety concerns as a primary reason for his departure. Subsequently, two MAX airplanes crashed, resulting in the loss of hundreds of lives.

Speaking to Kiro 7 Pierson even noted he will now schedule around having to fly on a Boeing Max plane and noted one recent incident where after realising he was indeed on a 737 Max, he departed the plane and rescheduled for another flight.

In 2019, Pierson testified before the House Transportation & Infrastructure Committee, stating that his warnings were disregarded and that Boeing prioritized production speed over quality and safety. Since then, he has continued to highlight safety concerns with the 737 MAX jets, underlining the need for transparency and accountability in the aviation industry.

As the executive director at the Foundation for Aviation Safety, Pierson is committed to ensuring airline safety and holding companies accountable for aviation issues. This mission is especially crucial given the numerous production quality defects reported in the past, underscoring the need for significant changes in leadership and quality control within the aviation industry.

The article and interview can be viewed on the Kiro 7 website and YouTube Channel.