Gregory Polek has spent his entire career in aviation journalism with AIN, starting as a proofreader and assistant to then-managing editor Mary Mahoney in 1995 after serving an internship with&nbsp;New Jersey Monthly&nbsp;magazine and completing his B.A. degree in English/Writing at New Jersey’s William Paterson College. By 1997 Polek accepted a position as an associate editor, covering the regional airline beat for&nbsp;Aviation International News&nbsp;in place of retiring industry veteran Don Anderson. The assignment took Polek across North America and Europe to profile regional airlines varying in size and mission from the likes of floatplane operators Kenmore Air and Chalk’s Ocean Airways to regional jet operators such as SkyWest and American Eagle. Today, in his dual role as Air Transport Editor and International Airshow Editor, Polek writes, edits, and manages AIN’s commercial aviation content while overseeing each of the company’s daily international air show publications in Paris, Farnborough, Singapore, and Dubai. Most recently Polek has assumed oversight of daily coverage of the Helicopter Association International’s annual Heli-Expo convention.

Senior Editor

Gregory Polek

Boeing CEO Dennis Muilenburg testified to Congress Tuesday that he did not become aware until recent weeks of the details in instant messages and emails exchanged between two of his company’s employees suggesting the chief technical pilot encountered serious problems with the maneuvering characteristics augmentation system (MCAS) in the 737 Max during simulator sessions. Despite accepting “ownership” and accountability for the series of events leading to the pair of crashes that claimed the lives of 346 people, Muilenburg absorbed criticism from several lawmakers on the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation who questioned why he did not know of the substance of the communications until several months after they appeared in documents filed with the Justice Department in response to the ongoing investigation into the October 2018 crash of Lion Air Flight 610.

 


In the instant messages, the chief technical pilot in question, Mark Forkner, described a scenario in which he witnessed the MCAS “running rampant” during a November 2016 simulator session, some four months before the Max received its certification from the Federal Aviation Administration. Subsequently, an email from Forkner calls for removing any mention of the MCAS from the flight crew operating manual.

 


Muilenburg’s testimony on Tuesday that he did not know the details of the communications did not go uncensured by Mississippi Senator Roger Wicker and others on the committee. “Was it your decision to wait months before disclosing this to the FAA?” asked Wicker. Muilenburg replied that he relied on the company’s lawyers to provide the information “to the appropriate authorities.”

 


For his part, Texas Senator Ted Cruz called Muilenburg’s testimony “quite dismaying” and the exchange between Forkner and technical pilot Patrik Gustavsson “stunning.”

 


“What I find truly stunning is that Boeing handed over this exchange to the Department of Justice in February,” said Cruz. “In March, I chaired a hearing of the aviation subcommittee on these two crashes. Boeing did not see fit to give this committee that exchange, nor did Boeing give it to the FAA or the Department of Transportation.

 


“You had your lawyers look over this document, and they read a senior leader—after these crashes occurred—saying they lied to the regulators. Mr. Muilenburg, how in the hell did nobody bring this to your attention in February, when you produced this to the Department of Justice? How did you just read this a couple of weeks ago?... How did your team not put it in front of you, run in with their hair on fire, saying, ‘We’ve got a real problem here.’”

 


Muilenburg responded that Boeing still does not know exactly what Forkner meant by the exchange because he no longer works for the company and the company hadn’t gotten to chance to talk with him. “His lawyer has suggested he was talking about a simulator that was in development in that time period; that was where he was working; that could be the case,” said Muilenburg.

News about significant aircraft accidents and information from accident reports.

Boeing CEO Pleads Initial Ignorance of MCAS Message Details

Dennis Muilenburg gets grilled by lawmakers on when he learned of chief technical pilot's concerns about MCAS functionality in the 737 Max. 

2024 Corporate Aviation Leadership Summit

AmyWilder

News about bills, laws, regulations and other governmental decisions affecting aviation and aerospace. Topics include FAA re-authorizations, taxes on fuel and aviation activities, environmental legislation, ICAO decisions, governmental mediation of labor conflicts and World Trade Organization disputes and decisions.

News and information on safety procedures and concerns.

News and issues relating to the aerospace industry that are related to the science, engineering and business of flight in space involving civil, industrial and military applications, and similar topics related to flight in the atmosphere of the Earth that are not covered more directly by other AINonline subject channels. In other words, both astronautical and aeronautical subjects, except for those aeronautical topics that are specifically covered elsewhere on this website.

Homendy calls situation leading to tragedy ‘stronger than an oversight’

NTSB Issues Urgent Safety Recommendations to FAA for KDCA

The CVR had likely not been recording for several years

Investigators Find CVR Failed To Record Medevac Flight

NTSB eyeing landing gear in crash

NTSB Eyes Landing Gear Mx in Scottsdale Learjet Accident

David Jack Kenny

News and issues relating to business, corporate and private aviation, primarily regarding turbine-engine-powered airplanes and helicopters. Subjects include aircraft, engines, maintenance, operations, personnel, acquisitions, accidents, safety, security, and training.

Preliminary and final accident reports, March 2025

Business Aircraft Accident Reports: March 2025

Curt Epstein

Accident took place at Scottsdale Airport in Arizona

Landing Learjet Crashes into Parked Jet in Runway Excursion

News and issues regarding all manner of civil and military rotorcraft and their powerplants, including helicopters, tilt rotors and unmanned air vehicles.

News and issues concerning general aviation, specifically airplanes and helicopters powered by piston and alternative engines (i.e., non-turbine powered aircraft). Subjects include aircraft, engines, personnel, acquisitions, accidents, safety, security and training.

More In Accidents

NTSB Issues Urgent Safety Recommendations to FAA for KDCA

Homendy calls situation leading to tragedy ‘stronger than an oversight’

Investigators Find CVR Failed To Record Medevac Flight

The CVR had likely not been recording for several years

NTSB Eyes Landing Gear Mx in Scottsdale Learjet Accident

NTSB eyeing landing gear in crash

Business Aircraft Accident Reports: March 2025

Preliminary and final accident reports, March 2025

Landing Learjet Crashes into Parked Jet in Runway Excursion

Accident took place at Scottsdale Airport in Arizona

Low Maneuvering Cause of Fatal 2023 Bell 407 Crash

Steep turn over terrain caused main rotor blade to contact ground

Industry Mourns Loss of Two Professionals in D.C. Crash

Casey Crafton of Guardian Jet and Vikesh Patel of GE Aerospace were among those killed in the American Airlines Flight 5342 crash

Business Aircraft Accident Reports: February 2025

Preliminary and final accident reports, February 2025

AIN Products

SUBSCRIPTIONS

RESOURCES

ABOUT AIN