Posted on 03/13/2019 11:45:22 AM PDT by WhoisAlanGreenspan?
Pilots complained to authorities about issues with the Boeing 737 Max for months before the deadly Ethiopian Airlines crash
https://www.businessinsider.com/pilots-complained-about-boeing-737-max-for-months-before-latest-crash-2019-3
The complaints were made in the Federal Aviation Administration’s incident database, which allows pilots to report issues about aviation incidents anonymously.
The complaints highlighted issues with the Max 8’s autopilot system, which has been called into question after Sunday’s crash and the crash of Lion Air Flight 610 in October. That incident also involved a Boeing 737 Max 8 plane.
The black box recovered from the Lion Air crash has indicated Flight 610 was repeatedly pushed into a dive position shortly after taking off from Jakarta, Indonesia. Investigators have suggested the automated system’s sensors may have malfunctioned. All 189 people on board were killed in that crash.
Observers have noted similarities between the two crashes, with Ethiopian Airlines CEO Tewolde GebreMariam telling CNN the similarities were “substantial.”
In one complaint, a commercial pilot described issues occurring during takeoff. As the autopilot was engaged, the aircraft’s nose suddenly pitched down, setting off the plane’s alarm system, which sounded “Don’t sink, don’t sink!” according to Politico. The situation was remedied only after autopilot was turned off, it added.
Another pilot who flies the Max 8 complained in November that it was “unconscionable” that pilots were allowed to continue to fly the planes without more training or disclosure on how the Max 8’s system differed from previous models, Politico said.
“The fact that this airplane requires such jury rigging to fly is a red flag,” the pilot said in the report. “Now we know the systems employed are error prone — even if the pilots aren’t sure what those systems are, what redundancies are in place, and failure modes.”
Yes, true. Not planning to hold at all costs.
I don’t think automation and computer controls are a problem in general. Many aircraft cannot be flown any other way. It’s just in this case they have to figure it out.
Better news at #44.
Says a lot about Boeing when the President has to step up. Boeing should have grounded their own planes. In my opinion
Luckily there’s an alpha-male at the helm. Can you imagine if another was to crash and kill 100+ people after failing to ground them?!
We’ll be flying in a 737 900ER. They OK?
I’m thinking a Manchurian chip designed by china with the intent of hurting our aerospace industry
Has a judge overruled him yet?
Thanks PJ, for linking. C19fan, here’s the full text what I wrote:
The problem is with the overall design of the plane itself. The body profile has been out since the ‘60s, and hasn’t changed much except for length. When Boeing set out to make this variant, they stuck with the body design, but altered the wing configuration, changing the position of the engine nacelles to accommodate the new propulsion system. The plane now has a natural tendency to go nose-up, so the MCAS system was implemented to keep the flight path stable. It’s an inherently unstable configuration, but as long as the sensors are working properly, the plane will fly fine. But with a faulty sensor telling the MCAS that it needs to move the nose down, the pilots suddenly find their selves fighting the plane’s actions.
The pilots who fly MAX equipment are aware of the issue, but have not been trained properly to react to an MCAS failure.
The MAX configuration was released in mid-2017. Currently, there have only been about 340 delivered worldwide. Prior to the Lion Air crash, very few major US-based carriers even had simulation equipment specific to that model. To date, American, Southwest, and Delta have added MAX sims, but United has not. The installation of these simulators have been very recent, and with thousands of pilots to train, most have not been through hands-on training on how to react to the MCAS scenario.
Immediately after the Lion Air crash, pilots complained bitterly that they were not properly trained on how to react to this problem. Jon Weaks, president of the Southwest Airlines Pilot Association said that the pilots “were kept in the dark.” He also said “We do not like the fact that a new system was put on the aircraft and wasn’t disclosed to anyone or put in the manuals.” The move from the older 737 NG model cockpit to the new 737 Max system consisted of little more than a one-hour session on an iPad, according to Dennis Tajer, the spokesman for the APA.
These incidents are occurring at low altitude and with very little time to react. Decisions need to be made quickly while under duress — all the while at the same time fighting the aircraft’s actions. The Lion Air flight crashed within 13 minutes of takeoff. The Ethiopian flight within six. Both experienced issues only minutes at the tail end of those time frames, and both flights were at an altitude that is not very forgiving.
These planes need to be grounded all over until a definitive answer can be discovered, and proper training initiated on MAX-specific simulators. We have too many of these flying right now to take a risk otherwise.
Given the fact that pilots at Southwest Airlines—the largest 737 MAX 8 operator in the world with 31 planes—noted the plane starts to act “weird” during climb out when the plane switches from manual to autopilot at over 3,000 feet altitude, no wonder Trump ordered he FAA to ground the planes. Boeing may need the assistance of NASA’s Ames Research Center (Mountain View, CA) and Armstrong Flight Research Center (Edwards AFB) to do aerodynamic testing and actual flight testing to determine a fix.
There's the reason the Establishment wants him GONE. An open, honest, and sincere man has no use for the layers of waste, fraud, and corruption that take root in the dark recesses of complicated "solutions".
In fact, a solution *is* a swamp:
"In chemistry, a solution is a special type of homogeneous mixture composed of two or more substances."
God hired a no-nonsense (ha!) businessman named TRUMP to overturn and destroy the status quo. One who builds towers, no less. Victory through superior wit, for starters. Nobody expects an attack from that direction.
Lawrence: They face the sea, Sherif Ali, and cannot be turned round. From the landward side, there are no guns at Aqaba.
Sherif: With good reason. It cannot be approached from the landward side.
Lawrence: Certainly the Turks don't dream of it. (He points in the direction of Aqaba.) Aqaba is over there. It's only a matter of going.
Sherif: You are mad.
Probably, but those are for airspeed, In the case of Indonesia crash, the problem was other sensors kept indicating the plane was going into a stall, with the nose too high. The autopilot would then take control from the pilots and force the nose down. The problem, of course, was that the nose wasn't too high to start with, and now the plane is in a dive, and the technique to override the system is complicated, especially when you're pointing at the ocean at 400 mph.
Yes, the NTSB investigates all incidents involving aircraft manufactured in the United States.
Yes, the NTSB investigates all incidents involving aircraft manufactured in the United States.
Media outraged that President Trump would interfere in a private business’s dealings. News on CNN at 5:00 pm.
Maybe a fighter plane should behave this way. An aircraft carrying people and freight for hire has no need for high G maneuvers or stealth. They need to be as stable and as predictable as possible.
No doubt. BA already lost $30 billion in value. Snapback will be fierce when the Chinese sabotage is exposed.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.