美国国家公共电台 NPR Boeing Slow To 'Own' Recent Air Disasters, Analysts Say

 

STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:

Two crashes of Boeing 737s leave behind a follow-up question - what took the airplane maker¹ so long to acknowledge a problem? The aviation system depends on self-reporting. Regulators encourage companies to acknowledge problems, working to ensure they have incentive² to keep their own business exceedingly safe. NPR's Daniella Cheslow reports on some incentives³ that seem to encourage Boeing to keep quiet.

DANIELLA CHESLOW, BYLINE⁴: When an Indonesian Lion Air jet plunged⁵ into the Java Sea on October 29, Boeing issued a statement extending our heartfelt sympathies to the families of the 189 victims. It said initial investigation⁶ showed the downed plane had faulty data from a sensor⁷. But Boeing also said the same plane flew with the same faulty sensor a day before, and a different crew managed to keep control. Jeffrey Sonnenfeld a professor at the Yale School of Management, says Boeing's response bordered on pointing a finger at pilots overseas.

JEFFREY SONNENFELD: There was a question as to whether or not the pilots followed the right routines initially⁸ and if they were properly trained.

CHESLOW: Boeing put out a bulletin on what to do in case of a faulty sensor. It did not mention that the sensor feeds automated⁹ flight control software called MCAS that was suspected of forcing the plane into a nosedive. The FAA certified¹⁰ the 737 MAX to fly without requiring pilots to train on or even to know about MCAS. And then it was business as usual. Orders kept pouring in for the 737 MAX, the fastest-selling jet in Boeing's history, until March 10, when a 737 MAX flown by Ethiopian Airlines crashed with 157 casualties.

Over the next two days, authorities from China to Europe grounded the plane. But in the U.S., Boeing CEO Dennis Muilenburg announced that it was developing an update to its MCAS software and that the FAA did not require any further action. And Muilenburg even called the White House to say there was no data to support grounding the planes. Erik Bernstein, vice¹¹ president of California-based Bernstein Crisis Management.

ERIK BERNSTEIN: You don't want to say something that is then translated in a court of law as an admission of guilt¹².

CHESLOW: Bernstein says he thinks Boeing maintained this stance for financial reasons.

BERNSTEIN: I would assume that they were selling those planes up to the day they got grounded or at least attempting to. They're keeping business partners and investors¹³ from being spooked.

CHESLOW: Boeing says it was not avoiding responsibility but rather waiting for the facts to emerge. Richard Levick, CEO of the LEVICK communications firm in D.C., says its response did not go over well.

RICHARD LEVICK: They weren't personal. They weren't empathetic. They were speaking like engineers, and they weren't very visible.

CHESLOW: On March 13, three days after the second crash, the U.S. did ground the planes, saying it had new information. And shortly after, Muilenburg recorded his first video message about the crash.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

DENNIS MUILENBURG: We're taking action to fully¹⁴ reassure¹⁵ airlines and their passengers of the safety of the 737 MAX.

CHESLOW: But he still tiptoed around what caused the crashes. The turning point was when Ethiopian authorities released a preliminary report on April 4. Transportation Minister Dagmawit Moges said the pilots had followed Boeing's directions.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

DAGMAWIT MOGES: The crew performed all the procedures repeatedly provided by the manufacturer but was not able to control the aircraft.

CHESLOW: This is where Muilenburg's public posture¹⁶ shifted. In a carefully worded message, he acknowledged that MCAS had added extra risk to the cockpit.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

MUILENBURG: It's our responsibility to eliminate this risk. We own it, and we know how to do it.

CHESLOW: We own it has since become a catchphrase for Boeing. Muilenburg repeated it last week when he spoke¹⁷ at the George W. Bush Presidential Center in Dallas.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

MUILENBURG: Frankly¹⁸, these last few weeks have been the most heart-wrenching of my career.

CHESLOW: It was a safe audience. Boeing has donated millions to the George W. Bush Institute, and Muilenburg didn't take questions. Bernstein says owning the problem was a first step toward connecting with the public.

BERNSTEIN: And I think that opens them up to really get a lot more compassionate¹⁹ with their communication.

CHESLOW: There is a downside. Houston attorney Nomi Husain is suing Boeing for negligence²⁰ on behalf of a victim's family. He says Muilenburg's comments give his case ammunition²¹.

NOMI HUSAIN: This admission, I think, helps us clear the hurdle²² of negligence.

CHESLOW: Boeing must get its software fix and extra pilot training approved to get its planes back in the air. Once that's done, the new transparency will help convince passengers that the 737 MAX is safe to fly.

Daniella Cheslow, NPR News.

1 maker   

n.制造者，制造商

参考例句：

• He is a trouble maker，You must be distant with him.他是个捣蛋鬼，你不要跟他在一起。
• A cabinet maker must be a master craftsman.家具木工必须是技艺高超的手艺人。

2 incentive   

n.刺激；动力；鼓励；诱因；动机

参考例句：

• Money is still a major incentive in most occupations.在许多职业中，钱仍是主要的鼓励因素。
• He hasn't much incentive to work hard.他没有努力工作的动机。

3 incentives   

激励某人做某事的事物( incentive的名词复数 )； 刺激； 诱因； 动机

参考例句：

• tax incentives to encourage savings 鼓励储蓄的税收措施
• Furthermore, subsidies provide incentives only for investments in equipment. 更有甚者，提供津贴仅是为鼓励增添设备的投资。 来自英汉非文学 - 环境法 - 环境法

4 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

5 plunged   

v.颠簸( plunge的过去式和过去分词 )；暴跌；骤降；突降

参考例句：

• The train derailed and plunged into the river. 火车脱轨栽进了河里。
• She lost her balance and plunged 100 feet to her death. 她没有站稳，从100英尺的高处跌下摔死了。

6 investigation   

n.调查，调查研究

参考例句：

• In an investigation,a new fact became known, which told against him.在调查中新发现了一件对他不利的事实。
• He drew the conclusion by building on his own investigation.他根据自己的调查研究作出结论。

7 sensor   

n.传感器，探测设备，感觉器（官）

参考例句：

• The temperature sensor is enclosed in a protective well.温度传感器密封在保护套管中。
• He plugged the sensor into a outlet.他把传感器插进电源插座。

8 initially   

adv.最初，开始

参考例句：

• The ban was initially opposed by the US.这一禁令首先遭到美国的反对。
• Feathers initially developed from insect scales.羽毛最初由昆虫的翅瓣演化而来。

9 automated   

a.自动化的

参考例句：

• The entire manufacturing process has been automated. 整个生产过程已自动化。
• Automated Highway System (AHS) is recently regarded as one subsystem of Intelligent Transport System (ITS). 近年来自动公路系统(Automated Highway System,AHS)，作为智能运输系统的子系统之一越来越受到重视。

10 certified   

a.经证明合格的；具有证明文件的

参考例句：

• Doctors certified him as insane. 医生证明他精神失常。
• The planes were certified airworthy. 飞机被证明适于航行。

11 vice   

n.坏事；恶习；[pl.]台钳，老虎钳；adj.副的

参考例句：

• He guarded himself against vice.他避免染上坏习惯。
• They are sunk in the depth of vice.他们堕入了罪恶的深渊。

12 guilt   

n.犯罪；内疚；过失，罪责

参考例句：

• She tried to cover up her guilt by lying.她企图用谎言掩饰自己的罪行。
• Don't lay a guilt trip on your child about schoolwork.别因为功课责备孩子而使他觉得很内疚。

13 investors   

n.投资者，出资者( investor的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• a con man who bilked investors out of millions of dollars 诈取投资者几百万元的骗子
• a cash bonanza for investors 投资者的赚钱机会

14 fully   

adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地

参考例句：

• The doctor asked me to breathe in,then to breathe out fully.医生让我先吸气，然后全部呼出。
• They soon became fully integrated into the local community.他们很快就完全融入了当地人的圈子。

15 reassure   

v.使放心，使消除疑虑

参考例句：

• This seemed to reassure him and he continued more confidently.这似乎使他放心一点，于是他更有信心地继续说了下去。
• The airline tried to reassure the customers that the planes were safe.航空公司尽力让乘客相信飞机是安全的。

16 posture   

n.姿势，姿态，心态，态度；v.作出某种姿势

参考例句：

• The government adopted an uncompromising posture on the issue of independence.政府在独立这一问题上采取了毫不妥协的态度。
• He tore off his coat and assumed a fighting posture.他脱掉上衣，摆出一副打架的架势。

17 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

18 frankly   

adv.坦白地，直率地；坦率地说

参考例句：

• To speak frankly, I don't like the idea at all.老实说，我一点也不赞成这个主意。
• Frankly speaking, I'm not opposed to reform.坦率地说，我不反对改革。

19 compassionate   

adj.有同情心的，表示同情的

参考例句：

• She is a compassionate person.她是一个有同情心的人。
• The compassionate judge gave the young offender a light sentence.慈悲的法官从轻判处了那个年轻罪犯。

20 negligence   

n.疏忽，玩忽，粗心大意

参考例句：

• They charged him with negligence of duty.他们指责他玩忽职守。
• The traffic accident was allegedly due to negligence.这次车祸据说是由于疏忽造成的。

21 ammunition   

n.军火，弹药

参考例句：

• A few of the jeeps had run out of ammunition.几辆吉普车上的弹药已经用光了。
• They have expended all their ammunition.他们把弹药用光。

22 hurdle   

n.跳栏，栏架；障碍，困难；vi.进行跨栏赛

参考例句：

• The weather will be the biggest hurdle so I have to be ready.天气将会是最大的障碍，所以我必须要作好准备。
• She clocked 11.6 seconds for the 80 metre hurdle.八十米跳栏赛跑她跑了十一秒六。