The First Individual Has Been Charged in the Boeing 737 Max Disaster. His Fate will Impact Engineering in More Than Just Aerospace

Mark Forkner is in big trouble. The engineering test pilot for Boeing is alleged to have misled the FAA about the MCAS stability control system used on Boeing 737 Max aircraft, the major contributor in two crashes with the loss of all aboard. Boeing as a corporation has negotiated a deal with the US Department of Justice to avoid prosecution in exchange for a large compensation payout to multiple parties. Individual prosecutions, like those of Forkner, are still at play. No single cause is responsible for an aviation accident. Usually, they are multiple small things which aggregate to create a safety failure, either in hardware, software or in crew operations. What Forkner says at trial may have real implications for the way engineering personnel deal with regulators in industries such as aerospace, automotive and medical devices.

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