In the wake of Sunday’s fatal Boeing 737 MAX airplane crash in Ethiopia, President Donald Trump took computer scientists to task today for making airplanes “too complex to fly.” And the computer scientists struck back.
It all took place on Twitter, of course.
To be fair, White House press secretary Sarah Sanders extended “our prayers to the loved ones, friends and family of those killed in the tragic crash of Ethiopian Airlines Flight ET302” during Monday’s press briefing, and said the administration was offering “all possible assistance.”
But Trump didn’t exactly take a sympathetic stance in this morning’s tweets:
Airplanes are becoming far too complex to fly. Pilots are no longer needed, but rather computer scientists from MIT. I see it all the time in many products. Always seeking to go one unnecessary step further, when often old and simpler is far better. Split second decisions are….
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 12, 2019
….needed, and the complexity creates danger. All of this for great cost yet very little gain. I don’t know about you, but I don’t want Albert Einstein to be my pilot. I want great flying professionals that are allowed to easily and quickly take control of a plane!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 12, 2019
The crash investigation is just getting started, and experts say it’s too early to determine whether a software glitch, hardware failure, human error, intentional sabotage or other factors are at fault. It’s true that after last October’s crash of a Boeing 737 MAX jet in Indonesia, investigators focused on an automatic flight control system as potentially playing a role. But it’s not yet clear whether there’s a connection to Sunday’s crash.
Boeing, not MIT, developed the flight control systems for the 737 MAX. But that didn’t stop MIT’s Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory from jumping into the fray:
We're very happy to help. But maybe we can keep the pilots, too? ?? https://t.co/Qe1ga25Ib2
— MIT CSAIL (@MIT_CSAIL) March 12, 2019
Other Twitterati took Trump to task as well. Here’s a selection:
As a pilot, I'm laughing at you.
As an American, I'm weeping that Grandpa Ranty is both yelling at clouds AND in control of our nuclear arsenal. https://t.co/uEDKPQhpme
— Rick Wilson (@TheRickWilson) March 12, 2019
Trump tweets this morning that airplanes are "too complex to fly" after recent Boeing crash.
Reality check: Commercial aviation fatalities in the U.S. have decreased by 95% over the past 20 years. https://t.co/eqLRUGjaB6
— Axios (@axios) March 12, 2019
Tbf not looking at the sun during a solar eclipse was too complex for #Trump so he has my sympathies. https://t.co/wnTQqEWttm
— Honeybadger (@honneybadger) March 12, 2019
Anti-Intellectualism takes flight(stole it)
Trump: Planes are far too complex to fly.Cant wait for his Space Force.
To quote Richard Dawkins: Science, it works bitches!
— Sea_United_Hawks (@MmedeSevigne) March 12, 2019
Well, Trump finds it difficult to close an umbrella – so what did you expect ? pic.twitter.com/lanKVoiBxo
— Annelise Ryberg (@RybergAnnelise) March 12, 2019