Boeing—Is it safe?
Talking about air crash accidents now, what do you have in mind? “Boeing again!” Right? So, is Boeing that hazardous?
Before I start, I am sorry to tell you that in Hong Kong, flights are mostly operated with Airbus and Boeing aircraft (COMAC C919 is now available in China Eastern (MU), but only on MU721/2). Just take Cathay Pacific as an example—there are 53 Boeing planes in their fleet right now (17 B777-300 + 36 B777-300ER), and 21 B777-9 will be delivered from around 2026, which means that you still have a 29% chance to take a flight with a Boeing. But I’m going to tell you that Boeing is NOT that bad.
I need to tell you one thing that may surprise you—around 80% of air crashes are caused by human errors, not the aircraft itself. Unbelievable, right? I can give you some evidence. China Airlines flight 611, which is a flight between Taipei and Hong Kong using a Boeing 747-200 jet, experienced an in-flight breakup on 25 May 2002. All 225 people aboard died. In-flight breakup? Boeing? The plane’s problem! NO! In fact, the cause of this accident is all about inadequate maintenance of the plane, not because the quality of the plane is bad.
Not convincing enough? Jeju Air flight 2216, which just happened a few weeks ago, involved a Boeing 737-800 jet. What caused the accident? The answer is a bird strike, while the cabin crew did not function the flaps, reverse thrust, or landing gear (or there was a failure of these parts). Anyway, even the investigation may yield a result related to a failure of parts. But this is really normal. As Boeing aircraft are controlled by a hydraulic machinery system, the bird strike may cause the system to malfunction. Also, the wall at the end of the runway is the main factor of this crash; without the wall, the jet might have landed successfully and fewer people would have died.
Ok, then you may ask, why does Boeing still use the hydraulic machinery system? Isn’t computer control a safer choice? Not really. Airbus uses computers to control their aircraft—I admit that it is more convenient, but it also causes some crashes. For example, China Airlines flight 140, which was a flight between Taipei and Nagoya operated by an A300-600R, crashed on 26 Apr 1994. It was caused by a conflict between computer control and the pilot; while the computer was controlling the plane to fly upward, the pilot was trying to descend, which caused the crash. We can see that there are still hazards even when a computer is used.
Another plane system that you might have heard of before is the MCAS system used on the Boeing 737 MAX series (a flight stabilizing feature developed by Boeing). I know you worry about it, as it caused 2 crashes. But Boeing already modified the system; also, all aircraft need to be qualified by the FAA (United States of America), EASA (Europe), and CAAC (China). The chance of a plane crash is as low as 0.00008333333%, so boarding an aircraft will be extremely safe.
Finally, if you still do not trust me, look at the screenshot I captured:
This screenshot shows the number of Boeing 737 jets flying ONLY in Asia at the time I was typing. How about those in other continents and other types of Boeing crafts? If all Boeing aircraft were dangerous, why are so many Boeings flying above us?
Next time you are on a plane, just enjoy your journey and relax. Trust me, air travel is the safest way to travel—no matter what manufacturer and type of aircraft it is.
[p.s I took this photo :)]
One thought on “Boeing—Is it safe?”
Thank you for this fascinating analysis of Boeing’s safety. Your comparisons and clear explanations remind us that many air incidents stem from human error rather than mechanical failure. I appreciate your detailed breakdown of the hydraulic versus computer-controlled systems. Also, thank you for the stunning photo of a CX A330—it truly enhanced the post and added a visual depth to your engaging content!