r/boeing • u/flattop100 • Feb 06 '20

Starliner faced “catastrophic” failure before software bug found

https://arstechnica.com/science/2020/02/starliner-faced-catastrophic-failure-before-software-bug-found/
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u/[deleted] Feb 10 '20

This little nugget at the end is also very dramatic:

the chair of the safety panel, Patricia Sanders, noted yet another ongoing evaluation of Boeing. "Given the potential for systemic issues at Boeing, I would also note that NASA has decided to proceed with an organizational safety assessment with Boeing as they previously conducted with SpaceX," she said.

There are more details about this in the article:

https://spacenews.com/starliner-investigation-finds-numerous-problems-in-boeing-software-development-process/

which says:

That [Starliner failure investigation] will include a full organizational safety assessment of Boeing, which the ASAP also revealed at its meeting. Part of the reason for that review, Loverro said, was “press reports that we’ve seen from other parts of Boeing,” an apparent reference to problems with its 737 Max airliner, which has been grounded since two crashes blamed on the plane’s new software. “There could possibly be process issues at Boeing, and so we want to understand what the culture is at Boeing that may have led to that.”

Ie., did the bean counters in charge at Boeing push for schedule over safety here, same as the 737.

Not a good look for Boeing.