accident Archives - Your Mileage May Vary

This Sunday, I was paging through my Twitter feed and saw an article from The New York Times titled: Boeing Built Deadly Assumptions Into 737 Max, Blind to a Late Design Change. Despite the sensationalistic headline, I went to check it out (amazingly, I still do, occasionally, have time to read things besides other travel blogs).

As it turns out, the article is a fascinating look into the history of the 737 MAX and its maligned MCAS computer system. I’ve read many posts on the subject but each one tended to focus on a singular aspect of the plane or the two crashes. This article puts everything into perspective, putting the pieces together.

I took several things away from the NYT’s article which I’ll start talking about here. I’m not going to repost the content of the article, so if you’re going to keep reading this, go to the Times website first. You get five free articles a month. I’ll wait. Continue reading ““Deadly Assumptions” – Who’s To Blame For The 737 MAX Problems?”

I’m sure you’ve heard about the derailment of the Amtrak train in Washington State that happened yesterday morning. While making its inaugural trip from Seattle to Portland, train No. 501 was going too quickly and, while on a curve, ran off its track. The accident involved thirteen train cars that fell from the bridge they were on, which then hit 5 cars and 2 trucks on the I-5 freeway below. At last report, there were, tragically, at least 3 confirmed fatalities as well as several dozen people who needed to be hospitalized.

The accident completely blocked off all lanes of Interstate 5, a major north-south route. In response to that, one airline is providing an alternative for holiday travelers on that normally busy stretch of highway, at deeply discounted rates.

Continue reading “An Airline Doing Good In A Time of Travel Tragedy”