Sean Broderick covers aviation safety, MRO, and the hardware side of the airline business from Aviation Week Network's Washington, D.C. office.
Broderick's aviation career started in 1991, working for Airbus in Toulouse. His industry experience includes four years with an aviation consultancy, where he helped launch a U.S. Part 121 carrier; 12 years with the American Association of Airport Executives, where he served as editor of Airport Magazine; and 20 years in full- and part-time roles with Aviation Week writing primarily about safety and the aftermarket.
Broderick was named the 2020 Aerospace Journalist of the Year by the Aerospace Media Awards. He also shared in a 2020 Neal Award for Best News Coverage with Aviation Week Network colleagues. Broderick and Aviation Week colleague John Croft shared the 2015 Flight Safety International Cecil A. Brownlow Publication Award recognizing "significant contributions by journalists to aviation safety awareness."
He graduated from James Madison University with a B.S. in Communications ('91) and earned an M.S. in Integrated Marketing Communications ('13) from West Virginia University.
The FAA had firsthand knowledge of critical changes to the Boeing 737 MAX maneuvering characteristics augmentation system (MCAS) during the aircraft’s development, but Boeing’s lack of proper paperwork documenting the updates kept agency experts who may have given the system more scrutiny out of the loop.
The final report on last year’s Lion Air Flight 610 (JT610) 737 MAX 8 accident concluded that inherent flaws in the aircraft’s flight control system set the stage for the crash and provides new details on both flight-crew and maintenance errors that played roles in the accident.
Boeing “got some things wrong” related to the 737 MAX development and response to two fatal accidents, and remains committed to answering every question from the FAA to get the aircraft flying again, CEO Dennis Muilenburg plans to tell a U.S. Senate committee Oct. 29.
