Crisis and Risk Management in Aviation: Lessons from the Boeing 737 MAX Crisis and Implications for African Regulatory Bodies

References

[1] Herkert, J., Borenstein, J., & Miller, K. (2020). The Boeing 737 MAX: Lessons for engineering ethics. Science and Engineering Ethics, 26(6), 2957-2974.

[2] African Union Commission. (2013). African Civil Aviation Policy (AFCAP). Addis Ababa: African Union Commission.

[3] African Union Development Agency. (2018). Single African Air Transport Market: Policy framework document. Midrand: AUDA - NEPAD.

[4] Curran, N. T., Kennings, T. W., & Shin, K. G. (2023). Analysis and prevention of MCAS- induced crashes. arXiv preprint.

[5] Bergstra, J. A., & Burgess, M. (2020). Candidate software process flaws for the Boeing 737 MAX MCAS algorithm and risks for a proposed upgrade. arXiv preprint.

[6] Cioroianu, I. (2021). Reputational contagion and the Boeing 737-MAX disasters. Journal of Air Transport Management, 90, 101968.

[7] International Civil Aviation Organization. (2017). AFI Regional Aviation Safety Oversight Organizations (RSOOs) study: Final report. Montreal: ICAO.

[8] Malunga, M. (2022). Key lessons from the Boeing 737 MAX 8 accidents. Loss Prevention Bulletin, 287, 24-30.

[9] Chary, S. (2024). Lessons from the Boeing 737- MAX crashes. Science and Engineering Ethics, 30, 1-24.

[10] Ghana Civil Aviation Authority. (2014). Safety Management System in Ghana's aviation sector. Accra: GCAA.

[11] Appicharla, S. K. (2023). The Boeing 737 MAX 8 crashes: System-based approach to safety. SCSC Journal of System Safety.

[12] Ghana Civil Aviation Authority. (2019). Safety Management System: GCAA safety policy statement and reporting policy. Accra: GCAA.

[13] Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority. (2019). NCAA closely monitoring investigations into B737 MAX 8 aircraft's safety. Lagos: NCAA Press Release.

[14] Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority. (2021). NCAA lifts ban on Boeing 737 MAX aircraft. Lagos: NCAA Press Release.

[15] European Union. (2015). EU-Africa Safety in Aviation: Pan-Africa programme action document. Brussels: European Commission.

[16] Associated Press. (2025). Systemic failures led to a door plug flying off a Boeing 737 Max, NTSB says.

[17] Reuters. (2025). Boeing failed to provide training, oversight to prevent MAX 9 mid-air emergency, NTSB says.

[18] Thompson, D. (2024). Boeing 737 MAX crisis of 2018-2019: A content analysis using SCCT and Image Restoration Theory. RAIS Education Press.

[19] Yin, R. K. (2014). Case study research: Design and methods (5th ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

[20] Wall Street Journal. (2025). Boeing's internal safety plan: Make problems easier to report.

[21] Ghana Civil Aviation Authority. (2021). Part 36 - Safety Management Systems: Ghana Civil Aviation Directives. Accra: GCAA.

[22] Ghana Civil Aviation Authority. (2023). National Aviation Safety Plan 2023-2025. Accra: GCAA.

@article{1718270,
      author = {Folorunso Matthew Kayode},
      title = {Crisis and Risk Management in Aviation: Lessons from the Boeing 737 MAX Crisis and Implications for African Regulatory Bodies},
      journal = {Iconic Research And Engineering Journals},
      year = {2025},
      volume = {9},
      number = {5},
      pages = {2854-2860},
      issn = {2456-8880},
      url = {https://www.irejournals.com/formatedpaper/1718270.pdf},
      abstract = {The Boeing 737 MAX crisis exposed deep weaknesses in aviation risk management, regulatory oversight and organisational safety culture. The crashes of Lion Air Flight 610 and Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302, and the subsequent worldwide grounding of the Boeing 737 MAX fleet, demonstrate how design decisions, automation, regulatory delegation and crisis communication can interact to produce catastrophic outcomes. This paper investigates the crisis through a qualitative document-analysis methodology and derives lessons for crisis and risk management in aviation. It then applies these lessons to the African regulatory context, with particular attention to Nigeria and Ghana. African civil aviation authorities must strengthen oversight of automation and software, deepen safety management systems, invest in capacity building and leverage regional cooperation to avoid repeating the systemic failures seen in the Boeing 737 MAX case.},
      keywords = {Aviation Safety, Boeing 737 MAX, Crisis Management, African Civil Aviation, Regulatory Oversight, Safety Management Systems},
      month = {November},
      doi = {https://doi.org/10.64388/IREV9I5-1718270}
  }