After two fatal crashes, can we ever trust the Boeing 737 Max again?

While much of aviation safety is built upon the lessons learnt from past tragedies, Simon Calder finds a healthy obsession with prevention rather than cure

The aircraft is due to return to the skies after it was grounded in April (Getty)

Some aviation tragedies have a single, brutal cause.

In July 2014, Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 was hit by a Russian-made anti-aircraft missile fired from rebel-held territory in eastern Ukraine. All 298 passengers and crew aboard the Boeing 777 were killed.

Most plane crashes, though, result from an alignment of unforeseen failures.