Boeing

Boeing is the case study in what happens when regulatory capture turns lethal. The FAA delegated safety certification of the 737 MAX to Boeing itself — a process called "Organization Designation Authorization" that allowed the company to inspect and certify its own aircraft. This self-certification regime, cultivated through decades of Boeing lobbying and revolving door hiring of FAA officials, directly contributed to two crashes that killed 346 people: Lion Air Flight 610 (October 2018) and Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302 (March 2019). The MCAS software system that caused both crashes was never disclosed to pilots, and Boeing engineers who raised concerns were overruled by management focused on beating Airbus to market. Despite this catastrophic regulatory failure, Boeing continues to receive over $20 billion per year in government contracts. The company's political power is so entrenched that 346 deaths, criminal fraud charges, and ongoing quality failures have not meaningfully reduced its access to taxpayer money. In January 2024, an Alaska Airlines 737 MAX 9 suffered a door plug blowout at 16,000 feet — the bolts securing the plug had been removed during production and never reinstalled — demonstrating that Boeing's quality problems persist years after the MAX crashes. Boeing wields political power through $200 million in career lobbying, 55 registered lobbyists, and 45 revolving door connections with government. Pat Shanahan, Boeing's SVP of Supply Chain, became Acting Secretary of Defense under Trump in 2019, despite having no military experience. His nomination for the permanent role was withdrawn over personal issues, but his appointment illustrated how Boeing's executive pipeline extends to the highest levels of government. Former FAA officials routinely join Boeing, and former Boeing officials move to the FAA, creating a regulatory body that identifies more with the industry it regulates than with the flying public. The company's defense portfolio includes the F/A-18 Super Hornet ($50 billion), KC-46 Pegasus aerial refueling tanker ($45 billion), and various space programs. The KC-46 program is a disaster by any measure — the Air Force has documented persistent problems including a faulty remote vision system, fuel leaks, and debris left inside aircraft during manufacturing. Despite these failures, the contract continues because Boeing is one of only two companies capable of building large military aircraft (the other being Lockheed Martin). Boeing's space programs represent another front of expensive failure. The Starliner crew capsule, contracted at $4.2 billion to ferry astronauts to the International Space Station, has failed repeatedly while SpaceX's competing Crew Dragon has succeeded. The SLS (Space Launch System) rocket, which Boeing builds for NASA, is over $23 billion and years behind schedule. Each SLS launch costs approximately $2 billion — compared to SpaceX's estimated $100 million per Starship launch — yet Boeing's congressional support keeps the program alive because SLS components are manufactured in key congressional districts. Two Boeing whistleblowers — John Barnett and Joshua Dean — died under circumstances that raised questions about Boeing's corporate culture. Barnett, a former quality manager who had reported safety concerns, was found dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound during his deposition against Boeing in March 2024. Dean, who reported quality defects at a Boeing supplier, died of a sudden infection weeks later. While no direct connection to Boeing has been established, the deaths cast a shadow over the company's treatment of internal critics.