As the new chief executive of Boeing, David L. Calhoun will take on one of the most challenging tasks in corporate America: steering the embattled airplane manufacturer out of a crisis that has consumed it for more than a year.

Boeing’s best-selling jet, the 737 Max, has been grounded for 10 months after two deadly crashes exposed serious flaws in the jet’s design and led to scrutiny of the company’s manufacturing process and its dealings with regulators, as well as to accusations that it overlooked safety concerns in its competitive zeal.

But while the magnitude of the task has little precedent, this is not the first time that Mr. Calhoun, who has longstanding ties to the aviation industry, has had to navigate a period of corporate turmoil. Over decades as an executive at companies like General Electric, Nielsen and Blackstone, he has been hailed as a “turnaround specialist” and described by colleagues as an experienced and decisive operator.

Mr. Calhoun, 62, started his career at G.E., rising to run the company’s airplane-engine business in the aftermath of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. Later, as chief executive of Nielsen, he was credited with rebuilding the data and information firm after a private-equity takeover. And in 2017, he was made chairman of the board of Caterpillar as the construction equipment company faced scrutiny from the federal government over its tax and export practices.