The crash of the Boeing 737-800 jet last October in Indo-China was due to software. And the software component for this new model of the Boeing 737 was “fast-tracked” – normal, tested procedures for educating pilots were bypassed.
The software involved was, alas, critical software that should never be fast-tracked. The pilot was unable to get control of the aircraft – and likely did not understand the human-computer interface.
Apparently, the decision to fast-track resulted from competitive pressure from Airbus development that is challenging Boeing 737’s dominance. So, senior management lobbied successfully for and ordered bypassing.
Aside from the serious mistake by Boeing in capitulating to this pressure – and for FAA in acquiescing – it is worth pointing out not just that human interface software is particularly difficult to get right, but – crucially – inhospitality, irregularity and amateurism are rife throughout the information technology environment that the public is subjected to.
It is time for citizens, municipalities, states and the feds to improve our information technology environment. We need a stricter, more independent regulatory process – akin to the EPA – to safeguard our information technology environment.
NICHOLAS OURUSOFF
New London