# Flying Blind with Peter Robison

- Show: [Oxide and Friends](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/oxide-and-friends)
- Published: 2022-01-11
- Length: 1h 29m
- Episode: 2
- Page: https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/oxide-and-friends/2022-01-11-flying-blind-with-peter-robison
- Listen: https://share.transistor.fm/s/124f46bf

## Summary

Peter Robison, author of 'Flying Blind', joins Bryan Cantrill and Adam Leventhal to discuss the cultural and engineering failures at Boeing that led to the 737 MAX crashes. Robison contrasts the team-oriented 'working together' culture of the 777 program with the finance-driven, cost-cutting mentality that emerged after the McDonnell Douglas merger, specifically citing the influence of Jack Welch’s management style. The conversation details how the Maneuvering Characteristics Augmentation System (MCAS) was designed with a single Angle of Attack (AOA) sensor, lacked pilot awareness, and was kept out of training manuals to avoid simulator costs for airlines like Southwest. Robison highlights the suppression of dissenting engineers, such as Curtis Eubank, and the lack of technical scrutiny from both Boeing leadership and the FAA, resulting in catastrophic software decisions that prioritized stock price over safety.

## Chapters

- [0:00](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/oxide-and-friends/2022-01-11-flying-blind-with-peter-robison#t=0) Introduction: Peter Robison and the JAL 123 Crash
- [6:13](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/oxide-and-friends/2022-01-11-flying-blind-with-peter-robison#t=373) The 777 Program: Boeing's Camelot and Team Culture
- [12:37](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/oxide-and-friends/2022-01-11-flying-blind-with-peter-robison#t=757) The McDonnell Douglas Merger and Cultural Shift
- [27:59](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/oxide-and-friends/2022-01-11-flying-blind-with-peter-robison#t=1679) The 737 MAX: MCAS, AOA Sensors, and Pilot Training
- [44:17](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/oxide-and-friends/2022-01-11-flying-blind-with-peter-robison#t=2657) Engineering Dissent: Curtis Eubank and Safety Instrumentation
- [53:29](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/oxide-and-friends/2022-01-11-flying-blind-with-peter-robison#t=3209) Blood on the Seat Covers: Product Safety Culture
- [1:08:30](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/oxide-and-friends/2022-01-11-flying-blind-with-peter-robison#t=4110) Leadership Failures: Michael Teal and Program Management
- [1:15:22](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/oxide-and-friends/2022-01-11-flying-blind-with-peter-robison#t=4522) Lessons for Engineering Leadership and Bad News

## Topics

- [Debugging & failure analysis](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/debugging-and-failure-analysis)
- [Leadership, teams & culture](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/leadership-and-culture)
- [Security & privacy](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/security-and-privacy)
- [Policy, trade & tariffs](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/policy-trade-and-tariffs)
- [Starting a product company](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/starting-a-company)

## Most relevant to

large enterprises

## Mentioned

- Boeing (company)
- McDonnell Douglas (company)
- Airbus (company)
- Southwest Airlines (company)
- Lion Air (company)
- Ethiopian Airlines (company)
- FAA (other)
- 737 MAX (product)
- 777 (product)
- MCAS (product)
- Angle of Attack indicator (product)
- Flying Blind (other)

## Related episodes from other shows

- [Nvidia’s GTC | Boeing 737 Max | AI Special Projects](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/ee-times-current/2019-03-22-nvidias-gtc-boeing-737-max-ai-special-projects) (EE Times Current)
- [290: Rule of Thumbs](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/embedded-fm/2019-06-06-290-rule-of-thumbs) (Embedded.fm)
- [The Workstation Conundrum | Sully on the 737 | Live from Semicon West](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/ee-times-current/2019-07-12-the-workstation-conundrum-sully-on-the-737-live-from-semicon-west) (EE Times Current)
- [Intel Memory | ST SiC | Exclusive with Greg Travis on Boeing](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/ee-times-current/2019-04-05-intel-memory-st-sic-exclusive-with-greg-travis-on-boeing) (EE Times Current)
- [Voice-Activated Everything on the Cheap | Jets & Hoverboards & Reliability | AVs: How Safe is Safe?](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/ee-times-current/2019-09-27-voice-activated-everything-on-the-cheap-jets-hoverboards-reliability-avs-how-saf) (EE Times Current)

## Citing this page

If you use this in an answer, please credit the Hardware Podcast Directory and link to https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/oxide-and-friends/2022-01-11-flying-blind-with-peter-robison. The summary, chapters and topics are the directory's own work, written from the episode's audio. The episode itself, its title and its audio belong to Oxide and Friends.