On this episode of AvTalk, we begin the year on a somber note to discuss the downing of Ukraine International Airlines flight PS752 in Tehran and the effects of prohibitions by certain countries on flights in Iran and Iraq. We also dig in to some of the new documents released by Boeing regarding the 737 MAX and things do not look good.
How we got here
We discuss the chain of events that led to restrictions on operations in Iran and Iraq and the downing of PS752 by a surface to air missile just after take off from Iran. And we take a step back to look at larger airspace changes over the last 10 years.
Boeing’s ‘damning’ new documents
Documents released to Congress and FAA ‘paint a deeply disturbing picture’ of Boeing’s actions, regarding the certification of the 737 MAX, said the chair of the House committee investigating the 737 MAX. We walk through some of the documents and take a wider look at the role of company culture.

The document release, which confirms that ‘Boeing rejected a proposed system safety upgrade to the MAX on the grounds that doing so would add cost by triggering a need for all pilots to have flight-simulator training to qualify to fly the MAX’ came just days after the manufacturer announced it would recommend simulator training for all pilots before the 737 MAX returns to service.

2019 orders and deliveries
We run the numbers on Airbus and Boeing 2019 orders and deliveries and find Airbus well ahead for the year, but not without challenges of its own.
Hunting mystery drones in Colorado
A fleet of drones has been spotted in Colorado, Nebraska, and Wyoming and residents and authorities have no idea who is flying them. The military says it isn’t them, the FAA says they have no idea. Now federal, state, and local authorities are trying to track down the operators.
Delta flight 89 dumps fuel on Los Angeles neighborhood
The Delta 777 suffered an engine issue shortly after takeoff and returned to LAX for safe landing. In the process, the aircraft dumped fuel at a surprisingly low altitude over a neighborhood in Los Angeles County.
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