While we can all agree that 2019 was not the best year for Boeing, you might be surprised to know it was far from the worst year in the planemaker's history. While it would be wrong to belittle the tragic loss of life on those two 737 MAXs, it’s certainly interesting to see how Boeing bounces back from disaster, time and time again.

Boeing 747 factory
The US planemaker always seems to bounce back. Photo: Boeing

We take a look at some of Boeing’s biggest trials over the years, and how it has overcome them all to become, and remain, the biggest aerospace company in America.

Boeing’s first ‘modern’ jet was a flop

The Boeing 247 was the first of what we’d come to recognize as a modern airliner. Like so many aircraft after it, it relied on metal for its body parts and had a monoplane construction which would become the blueprint for future aircraft. However, Boeing just couldn’t sell it.

Boeing 274
The 247 should have been huge, but it never sold. Photo: Boeing

Shortly after the groundbreaking plane was revealed to the world, Douglas brought the iconic DC-3 to market. With more passenger capacity, the DC-3 eclipsed the 247, leaving Boeing with no customers. Just 75 247s were ever constructed.

The 747 almost bankrupted Boeing

Despite a rocky start in the jetliner world, by the 1970s Boeing was a driving force. The development of the 737 had cemented its place in the global commercial jet market, and with that in the bag, the company turned its attention to the 747 jumbo that would become the largest passenger jet for many decades.

Boeing first 747
The 747 is iconic, but it almost bankrupted Boeing. Photo: Boeing

While the Queen of the Skies will never be seen as a mistake, its development left Boeing with bagloads of debt. Coupled with a recession, Boeing was really struggling, laying off some 75% of its workers by 1971. For a minute, bankruptcy looked like a real possibility, but as usual, Boeing bounced back.

The 737 had deadly problems before

The 1991 crash of a Boeing 737 was generally thought, at the time, to have been a freak accident. On approach to Colorado, the aircraft had made a roll to the right and then nosedived towards the ground. All on board lost their lives. Although it was under investigation, it was generally thought it was a malfunction; an unlucky fault.

That was, until it happened again.

Boeing first 737
The original 737 had two deadly crashes also. Photo: Boeing

In 1994, another 737 took a roll to the left and then pitched down towards the ground. Just like the last time, everyone lost their lives. The investigation was stepped up, with the NTSB eventually concluding that the tail rudder had malfunctioned in both cases. The time between the two crashes meant there was not the same sense of urgency or scandal that there has been with the MAX, and no aircraft were grounded as a result.

Overall

Overall, Boeing has faced some of the biggest trials of any company in the past, and has bounced back each time. From a once crowded aerospace marketplace, Boeing is one of only a handful of survivors. The MAX debacle and the other challenges that 2019 brought will have made things difficult for the company, but it’s nothing it can’t handle.

What do you think? Will Boeing bounce back from the disaster that was 2019? Let us know in the comments.