An expert study that was never made public found that Boeing bore significant responsibility for a deadly 737 crash in 2009. Our review of the evidence reveals striking parallels with recent 737 Max crashes. nyti.ms/2sGoDKs
In the 2009 crash and in more recent crashes that killed 346 people, a powerful automated command was triggered by a single faulty sensor. The first crash should have dissuaded Boeing from using a similar design in the Max, one expert said. Instead, "the issue got buried."
In its final report, the Dutch Safety Board either excluded or played down criticism of Boeing and instead primarily blamed the pilots, all 3 of whom were killed, for failing to react properly when an automated system malfunctioned. 
The muted criticism of Boeing after the 2009 accident fits within a broader pattern of the company benefiting from a light-touch approach by safety officials. Read our previous coverage: nytimes.com/2020/01/10/bus…
