2nd crash renews safety concerns for Boeing’s prized new jet
Associated PressHOUSTON — The second deadly crash of a prized new airplane in five months has renewed safety concerns about the 737 Max that could shape Boeing’s fortunes for many years. “I drive in Houston every day,” said Brian Browder, who was waiting for a flight to Washington, D.C. “That’s the place to be worried.” Still, Browder, who works for a construction-industry trade group and flies several times a month, said he would be “a bit apprehensive” about getting on a 737 MAX. Peggy Chang Barber, a lawyer for a Houston nonprofit who was on her way to New York, said U.S. airlines are “pretty vigilant” about maintenance and pilot training, and she won’t be concerned “unless they find a fault with the plane.” It isn’t clear yet whether the plane’s technology played a role in the Ethiopian Airlines crash, or whether that accident is related to the deadly Lion Air accident on Oct. 29 in Indonesia. Even if Boeing must make software or hardware changes to the plane, “it’s nothing they can’t get past, but it would be an expensive process,” said Richard Aboulafia, an aviation consultant with Teal Group.