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Boeing 737 MAX
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More Bad News for Boeing
Potential plaintiffs have until early June to join the class action.
By Rob Mark April 11, 2019
The class action is the direct result of the two recent 737 MAX accidents.
Courtesy Boeing
The people at Boeing probably expected more bad news and today they got some when Bernstein Liebhard LLP, a New York-based law firm filed a class action suit in the Northern District of Illinois against Boeing. The suit was filed on behalf of people who purchased, “securities of Boeing, Inc. ("Boeing" or the "Company") (NYSE: BA) during the period of January 8, 2019 through March 21, 2019.”
In light of the Lion Air accident last October and the Ethiopian Airlines crashlast month, the complaint alleges that Boeing violated Sections 10(b) and 20(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Plaintiffs seek to recover damages on behalf of all Class members who invested in Boeing securities during the class period.
Plaintiffs allege that Defendants made misrepresentations about the safety of the Company's 737 Max airplanes during the class period.
Specifically, Defendants allegedly concealed that the 737 Max airplanes lacked safety features which Boeing sold as "optional" add-ons; that most airlines did not purchase these safety "options"; and that the FAA handed oversight and certification of one of Boeing's safety systems to Boeing, which had a clear conflict of interest as it was rushing the 737 Max to market.
No details were made available about how many people may be involved in this class action although information on the suit said plaintiffs, “must meet certain requirements set forth in the applicable law and file appropriate papers no later than June 10, 2019.”
More Bad News for Boeing
Potential plaintiffs have until early June to join the class action.
By Rob Mark April 11, 2019
The class action is the direct result of the two recent 737 MAX accidents.
Courtesy Boeing
The people at Boeing probably expected more bad news and today they got some when Bernstein Liebhard LLP, a New York-based law firm filed a class action suit in the Northern District of Illinois against Boeing. The suit was filed on behalf of people who purchased, “securities of Boeing, Inc. ("Boeing" or the "Company") (NYSE: BA) during the period of January 8, 2019 through March 21, 2019.”
In light of the Lion Air accident last October and the Ethiopian Airlines crashlast month, the complaint alleges that Boeing violated Sections 10(b) and 20(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Plaintiffs seek to recover damages on behalf of all Class members who invested in Boeing securities during the class period.
Plaintiffs allege that Defendants made misrepresentations about the safety of the Company's 737 Max airplanes during the class period.
Specifically, Defendants allegedly concealed that the 737 Max airplanes lacked safety features which Boeing sold as "optional" add-ons; that most airlines did not purchase these safety "options"; and that the FAA handed oversight and certification of one of Boeing's safety systems to Boeing, which had a clear conflict of interest as it was rushing the 737 Max to market.
No details were made available about how many people may be involved in this class action although information on the suit said plaintiffs, “must meet certain requirements set forth in the applicable law and file appropriate papers no later than June 10, 2019.”
More Bad News for Boeing
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FAA meets with Airlines & Pilots to discuss B737 MAX
The FAA called the 3h meeting in Washington, DC to review three items: preliminary reports into two 737 Max crashes, Boeing’s anticipated update to the 737 Max’s flight control software and pilot training, says the agency.
The meeting also gave FAA acting administrator Dan Elwell opportunity to “hear from the participants for a fuller understanding of the safety issues presented by the Boeing 737 Max”.
Attendees included representatives from three US airlines and their unions. United Airlines, Southwest Airlines and American Airlinesoperated 737 Max prior to last month’s grounding.
“Elwell said that he wanted to know what operators and pilots of the 737 Max think as the agency evaluates what needs to be done before the FAA makes a decision to return the aircraft to service,” the FAA says. “Elwell said that the participants’ operational perspective is critical input as the agency welcomes scrutiny on how it can do better.”
Boeing did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The meeting left some sources with the impression that FAA officials feel optimistic about actions being taken by Boeing.
The discussions raised questions about pilot training, the actions of the pilots in the cockpit of the Ethiopian Airlines 737 Max that crashed in March, and the regulatory system that certified the type’s manoeuvring characteristics augmentation system (MCAS), say sources who spoke on condition of anonymity.
An erroneous MCAS activation has been identified as a contributing factor to both the October 2018 Lion Air and March Ethiopian 737 Max crashes.
“Geopolitical issues continue in their complexity and they will intertwine with everything from crew training and experience to the pilot supply/demand equation, to codeshare agreements and subsidies, and much more,” Southwest Airlines Pilots Association (SWAPA) president Jon Weaks says in a letter distributed to union members immediately after the meeting.
“The FAA flight safety board is continuing to evaluate Boeing's proposed software changes, and the FAA, as well as SWAPA, are still waiting on a final proposed training product from Boeing,” says Weaks’ letter. “Boeing will, and should, continue to face scrutiny of the ill-designed MCAS and initial non-disclosure of the new flight control logic.”
Weaks’ letter also notes the preliminary report into ET302 raises questions about, “Ethiopian procedures regarding stick shaker, unreliable airspeed procedures, auto-throttle procedures, flight mode selection training, autopilot engagement and use procedures, when the recommended runaway stabiliser and MCAS procedures were followed, and airspeed overspeed recognition and procedures”.
His letter also touches on the FAA’s certification process, which involves delegating some work to designated employees at manufacturers through a process called “organisation designation authorisation”.
With the FAA short on resources, that process “may be too ingrained to reverse,” Weaks writes.
The Air Line Pilots Association, which represents United’s pilots, also confirms its attendance but had not yet prepared a statement.
The Allied Pilots Association, which represents American’s crews, could not immediately be reached
FAA meets with airlines and pilots to discuss 737 Max
- 12 APRIL, 2019
- SOURCE: FLIGHT DASHBOARD
- BY: JON HEMMERDINGER
- BOSTON
The FAA called the 3h meeting in Washington, DC to review three items: preliminary reports into two 737 Max crashes, Boeing’s anticipated update to the 737 Max’s flight control software and pilot training, says the agency.
The meeting also gave FAA acting administrator Dan Elwell opportunity to “hear from the participants for a fuller understanding of the safety issues presented by the Boeing 737 Max”.
Attendees included representatives from three US airlines and their unions. United Airlines, Southwest Airlines and American Airlinesoperated 737 Max prior to last month’s grounding.
“Elwell said that he wanted to know what operators and pilots of the 737 Max think as the agency evaluates what needs to be done before the FAA makes a decision to return the aircraft to service,” the FAA says. “Elwell said that the participants’ operational perspective is critical input as the agency welcomes scrutiny on how it can do better.”
Boeing did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The meeting left some sources with the impression that FAA officials feel optimistic about actions being taken by Boeing.
The discussions raised questions about pilot training, the actions of the pilots in the cockpit of the Ethiopian Airlines 737 Max that crashed in March, and the regulatory system that certified the type’s manoeuvring characteristics augmentation system (MCAS), say sources who spoke on condition of anonymity.
An erroneous MCAS activation has been identified as a contributing factor to both the October 2018 Lion Air and March Ethiopian 737 Max crashes.
“Geopolitical issues continue in their complexity and they will intertwine with everything from crew training and experience to the pilot supply/demand equation, to codeshare agreements and subsidies, and much more,” Southwest Airlines Pilots Association (SWAPA) president Jon Weaks says in a letter distributed to union members immediately after the meeting.
“The FAA flight safety board is continuing to evaluate Boeing's proposed software changes, and the FAA, as well as SWAPA, are still waiting on a final proposed training product from Boeing,” says Weaks’ letter. “Boeing will, and should, continue to face scrutiny of the ill-designed MCAS and initial non-disclosure of the new flight control logic.”
Weaks’ letter also notes the preliminary report into ET302 raises questions about, “Ethiopian procedures regarding stick shaker, unreliable airspeed procedures, auto-throttle procedures, flight mode selection training, autopilot engagement and use procedures, when the recommended runaway stabiliser and MCAS procedures were followed, and airspeed overspeed recognition and procedures”.
His letter also touches on the FAA’s certification process, which involves delegating some work to designated employees at manufacturers through a process called “organisation designation authorisation”.
With the FAA short on resources, that process “may be too ingrained to reverse,” Weaks writes.
The Air Line Pilots Association, which represents United’s pilots, also confirms its attendance but had not yet prepared a statement.
The Allied Pilots Association, which represents American’s crews, could not immediately be reached
FAA meets with airlines and pilots to discuss 737 Max
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APRIL 17, 2019
Boeing panel: Software fix for 737 Max 'suitable,' no re-training needed
By Nicholas Sakelaris
The report said a panel of expert pilots have found the software update addresses needed changes. File Photo by Andy Rain/EPA-EFE
April 17 (UPI) -- The Boeing 737 Max 8 fleet should re-enter service with new software and without new simulator training for pilots, a Federal Aviation Administration board advised in a new report.
A 57-page draft report by the Flight Standardization Board Tuesday said engineers are still working on a software update for the plane, which has been grounded worldwide since shortly after the crash of an Ethiopian Airlines jet last month. The panel is comprised of expert pilots who have reviewed the software fix.
More than 300 people died in two crashes involving the Max 8 since October, which led Boeing to develop a software fix for the plane's automated flight system. Investigators believe anti-stall software forced the planes into a dive and that pilots were not trained for that scenario.
So far, the board determined, the software update addresses the needed changes.
"In March 2019, the FSB conducted an evaluation of the modified Maneuvering Characteristics Augmentation System for training and checking differences determination. The system enhancement is incorporated on all MAX series aircraft. The MCAS system was found to be operationally suitable," the panel said.
Boeing has completed 96 flights totaling more than 159 hours of air time with the new software fix for the Max fleet. The update could be finished by the end of the month, at the earliest. The FAA would then have to sign off on the fix. With the current system, the plane's anti-stall system takes over if there's a risk of a stall, forcing it into a steep dive that the pilots can't override. The new software wouldn't go into as steep a dive and would alert pilots when there's a malfunction.
The report said new pilots should receive a special emphasis on the MCAS system in training, but existing pilots won't need re-training in the flight simulator -- a costly and time-consuming endeavor. No U.S. carrier has a specific simulator for the Max series aircraft.
"MCAS ground training must address system description, functionality, associated failure conditions and flight crew alerting," the report said.
The software fix is the first of several steps in getting the Max planes back into service. Regulators in other countries also have to sign off on the fixes for the planes to fly in their airspace. There's also the issue of public acceptance, as the crashes have influenced safety perception about the plane.
Boeing shares climbed 2.5 percent after the report was issued Tuesday.
United, Southwest and American airlines -- the only U.S. airlines that fly Boeing's Max 737 series -- have grounded flights through the summer.
Boeing panel: Software fix for 737 Max 'suitable,' no re-training needed
Boeing panel: Software fix for 737 Max 'suitable,' no re-training needed
By Nicholas Sakelaris
The report said a panel of expert pilots have found the software update addresses needed changes. File Photo by Andy Rain/EPA-EFE
April 17 (UPI) -- The Boeing 737 Max 8 fleet should re-enter service with new software and without new simulator training for pilots, a Federal Aviation Administration board advised in a new report.
A 57-page draft report by the Flight Standardization Board Tuesday said engineers are still working on a software update for the plane, which has been grounded worldwide since shortly after the crash of an Ethiopian Airlines jet last month. The panel is comprised of expert pilots who have reviewed the software fix.
More than 300 people died in two crashes involving the Max 8 since October, which led Boeing to develop a software fix for the plane's automated flight system. Investigators believe anti-stall software forced the planes into a dive and that pilots were not trained for that scenario.
So far, the board determined, the software update addresses the needed changes.
"In March 2019, the FSB conducted an evaluation of the modified Maneuvering Characteristics Augmentation System for training and checking differences determination. The system enhancement is incorporated on all MAX series aircraft. The MCAS system was found to be operationally suitable," the panel said.
Boeing has completed 96 flights totaling more than 159 hours of air time with the new software fix for the Max fleet. The update could be finished by the end of the month, at the earliest. The FAA would then have to sign off on the fix. With the current system, the plane's anti-stall system takes over if there's a risk of a stall, forcing it into a steep dive that the pilots can't override. The new software wouldn't go into as steep a dive and would alert pilots when there's a malfunction.
The report said new pilots should receive a special emphasis on the MCAS system in training, but existing pilots won't need re-training in the flight simulator -- a costly and time-consuming endeavor. No U.S. carrier has a specific simulator for the Max series aircraft.
"MCAS ground training must address system description, functionality, associated failure conditions and flight crew alerting," the report said.
The software fix is the first of several steps in getting the Max planes back into service. Regulators in other countries also have to sign off on the fixes for the planes to fly in their airspace. There's also the issue of public acceptance, as the crashes have influenced safety perception about the plane.
Boeing shares climbed 2.5 percent after the report was issued Tuesday.
United, Southwest and American airlines -- the only U.S. airlines that fly Boeing's Max 737 series -- have grounded flights through the summer.
Boeing panel: Software fix for 737 Max 'suitable,' no re-training needed
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APRIL 24, 2019
Boeing reports $1 billion hit from fallout over 737 Max crashes
By Nicholas Sakelaris
Boeing said Wednesday the global grounding of its Max fleet has seriously influenced its finances. File Photo by John Angelillo/UPI | License Photo
April 24 (UPI) -- Boeing on Wednesday recalled its financial forecast for 2019 and said it will stop buying back shares as it works through issues related to the global grounding of its 737 Max aircraft.
The aerospace company said in an earnings call Wednesday it's committed to fixing problems with the Max fleet investigators believe played a factor in two deadly crashes since last fall. Boeing said fallout from the crashes have influenced its original 2019 forecast.
"Due to the uncertainty of the timing and conditions surrounding return to service of the 737 Max fleet, new guidance will be issued at a future date," Boeing said.
The company said it's so far completed more than 135 test and production flights of updated software for the Boeing 737 Max. All three U.S. airlines that fly the Max 8 or 9 have said their planes won't return to the skies until at least this summer.
"We are focused on safety, returning 737 Max to service and earning and re-earning the trust and confidence of customers, regulators and the flying public," Boeing Chairman and CEO Dennis Muilenburg said. "Our attention remains on driving excellence in quality and performance and running a healthy sustained growth business."
Regulators worldwide grounded the Max 8 in March after one of the planes crashed in Ethiopia -- just six months after another Max 8 crash in Indonesia. The crashes killed a combined 346 people. Preliminary investigations have found similarities between the two accidents.
Boeing said Wednesday production costs for the 737 have increased by about $1 billion due to fallout from the crashes. The company will soon to submit its fixes for the Max fleet to the Federal Aviation Administration, CNBC reported Wednesday.
In its earnings call, Boeing said it presently has a backlog of 5,600 aircraft orders worth almost $400 billion -- a slight decline from the fourth quarter of last year, when the backlog involved 5,900 orders worth $412 billion.
Boeing said its cash flow fell in the first quarter 10 percent to $2.8 billion, down $1 billion from the same period last year but in line with analysts' projections. Shares of Being were down slightly as the market opened Wednesday.
Boeing reports $1 billion hit from fallout over 737 Max crashes
Boeing reports $1 billion hit from fallout over 737 Max crashes
By Nicholas Sakelaris
Boeing said Wednesday the global grounding of its Max fleet has seriously influenced its finances. File Photo by John Angelillo/UPI | License Photo
April 24 (UPI) -- Boeing on Wednesday recalled its financial forecast for 2019 and said it will stop buying back shares as it works through issues related to the global grounding of its 737 Max aircraft.
The aerospace company said in an earnings call Wednesday it's committed to fixing problems with the Max fleet investigators believe played a factor in two deadly crashes since last fall. Boeing said fallout from the crashes have influenced its original 2019 forecast.
"Due to the uncertainty of the timing and conditions surrounding return to service of the 737 Max fleet, new guidance will be issued at a future date," Boeing said.
The company said it's so far completed more than 135 test and production flights of updated software for the Boeing 737 Max. All three U.S. airlines that fly the Max 8 or 9 have said their planes won't return to the skies until at least this summer.
"We are focused on safety, returning 737 Max to service and earning and re-earning the trust and confidence of customers, regulators and the flying public," Boeing Chairman and CEO Dennis Muilenburg said. "Our attention remains on driving excellence in quality and performance and running a healthy sustained growth business."
Regulators worldwide grounded the Max 8 in March after one of the planes crashed in Ethiopia -- just six months after another Max 8 crash in Indonesia. The crashes killed a combined 346 people. Preliminary investigations have found similarities between the two accidents.
Boeing said Wednesday production costs for the 737 have increased by about $1 billion due to fallout from the crashes. The company will soon to submit its fixes for the Max fleet to the Federal Aviation Administration, CNBC reported Wednesday.
In its earnings call, Boeing said it presently has a backlog of 5,600 aircraft orders worth almost $400 billion -- a slight decline from the fourth quarter of last year, when the backlog involved 5,900 orders worth $412 billion.
Boeing said its cash flow fell in the first quarter 10 percent to $2.8 billion, down $1 billion from the same period last year but in line with analysts' projections. Shares of Being were down slightly as the market opened Wednesday.
Boeing reports $1 billion hit from fallout over 737 Max crashes
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Boeing Statement on 737 MAX Disagree Alert
We want to provide a response to several news stories yesterday and today reporting on the disagree alert on the 737 MAX.
Boeing included the disagree alert as a standard feature on the MAX, although this alert has not been considered a safety feature on airplanes and is not necessary for the safe operation of the airplane. Boeing did not intentionally or otherwise deactivate the disagree alert on its MAX airplanes.
The disagree alert was intended to be a standard, stand-alone feature on MAX airplanes. However, the disagree alert was not operable on all airplanes because the feature was not activated as intended.
The disagree alert was tied or linked into the angle of attack indicator, which is an optional feature on the MAX. Unless an airline opted for the angle of attack indicator, the disagree alert was not operable.
On every airplane delivered to our customers, including the MAX, all flight data and information needed to safely operate the aircraft is provided in the flight deck and on the flight deck display. This information is readily accessible to pilots, and it always has been.
The air speed, attitude, and altitude displays, together with the stick shaker, are the primary flight information indicators in the flight deck. All recommended pilot actions, checklists, and training are based upon these primary indicators, not on the AOA disagree alert or the angle of attack indicator.
As the MAX safely returns to the air after the software modifications are approved and certified, all MAX production aircraft will have an activated and operable disagree alert and an optional angle of attack indicator. All customers with previously delivered MAX airplanes will have the ability to activate the disagree alert per a service bulletin to airlines.
We are confident that when the MAX returns to the skies, it will be one of the safest airplanes ever to fly.
Boeing Statement on 737 MAX Disagree Alert
We want to provide a response to several news stories yesterday and today reporting on the disagree alert on the 737 MAX.
Boeing included the disagree alert as a standard feature on the MAX, although this alert has not been considered a safety feature on airplanes and is not necessary for the safe operation of the airplane. Boeing did not intentionally or otherwise deactivate the disagree alert on its MAX airplanes.
The disagree alert was intended to be a standard, stand-alone feature on MAX airplanes. However, the disagree alert was not operable on all airplanes because the feature was not activated as intended.
The disagree alert was tied or linked into the angle of attack indicator, which is an optional feature on the MAX. Unless an airline opted for the angle of attack indicator, the disagree alert was not operable.
On every airplane delivered to our customers, including the MAX, all flight data and information needed to safely operate the aircraft is provided in the flight deck and on the flight deck display. This information is readily accessible to pilots, and it always has been.
The air speed, attitude, and altitude displays, together with the stick shaker, are the primary flight information indicators in the flight deck. All recommended pilot actions, checklists, and training are based upon these primary indicators, not on the AOA disagree alert or the angle of attack indicator.
As the MAX safely returns to the air after the software modifications are approved and certified, all MAX production aircraft will have an activated and operable disagree alert and an optional angle of attack indicator. All customers with previously delivered MAX airplanes will have the ability to activate the disagree alert per a service bulletin to airlines.
We are confident that when the MAX returns to the skies, it will be one of the safest airplanes ever to fly.
Boeing Statement on 737 MAX Disagree Alert
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Dubai Slams Boeing Over Its Handling of 737 Max Grounding
By Layan Odeh
April 29, 2019
Boeing Co. was lambasted by the most powerful figure in Dubai aviation for failing to keep airlines updated on the grounding of the 737 Max jetliner, of which 14 have been delivered to the Persian Gulf emirate.
“Communication with Boeing could be better,” Sheikh Ahmed Bin Saeed Al Maktoum said Monday in a briefing at the 2019 Arabian Travel Market convention. “We want to know exactly what’s happening, the details. There are still areas that aren’t being answered 100 percent yet.”
Sheikh Ahmed, who is president of Dubai’s civil aviation authority and chairman of Emirates, the world’s biggest long-haul airline, said he’ll be seeking compensation from Boeing for the idling of the planes at sister short-haul operator FlyDubai, which has ordered 175 in total, and could approach Airbus SE about switching to the European company’s competing A320neo model.
It’s especially galling to be out of the loop since FlyDubai is one of the biggest customers for the Max, said Sheikh Ahmed, who is also a board member of the United Arab Emirates aviation authority, one of nine such bodies that are looking into the safety of the plane, according to the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration. The panel was due to meet for the first time today.
Boeing needs to be clearer about when the Max will fly again after crashes in Ethiopia and Indonesia led to the grounding, according to Sheikh Ahmed, who said he’s concerned about further delays for European Aviation Safety Authority approval of changes to a suspect anti-stall system, and for pilot re-training.
“I have to really see what assurance I will be getting,” he said. “I didn’t ground the 14 aircraft because I wanted to do it. Even if I wanted to fly this aircraft I won’t be able to.”
By Layan Odeh
April 29, 2019
Boeing Co. was lambasted by the most powerful figure in Dubai aviation for failing to keep airlines updated on the grounding of the 737 Max jetliner, of which 14 have been delivered to the Persian Gulf emirate.
“Communication with Boeing could be better,” Sheikh Ahmed Bin Saeed Al Maktoum said Monday in a briefing at the 2019 Arabian Travel Market convention. “We want to know exactly what’s happening, the details. There are still areas that aren’t being answered 100 percent yet.”
Sheikh Ahmed, who is president of Dubai’s civil aviation authority and chairman of Emirates, the world’s biggest long-haul airline, said he’ll be seeking compensation from Boeing for the idling of the planes at sister short-haul operator FlyDubai, which has ordered 175 in total, and could approach Airbus SE about switching to the European company’s competing A320neo model.
It’s especially galling to be out of the loop since FlyDubai is one of the biggest customers for the Max, said Sheikh Ahmed, who is also a board member of the United Arab Emirates aviation authority, one of nine such bodies that are looking into the safety of the plane, according to the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration. The panel was due to meet for the first time today.
Boeing needs to be clearer about when the Max will fly again after crashes in Ethiopia and Indonesia led to the grounding, according to Sheikh Ahmed, who said he’s concerned about further delays for European Aviation Safety Authority approval of changes to a suspect anti-stall system, and for pilot re-training.
“I have to really see what assurance I will be getting,” he said. “I didn’t ground the 14 aircraft because I wanted to do it. Even if I wanted to fly this aircraft I won’t be able to.”
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Boeing's CEO explains why the company didn't tell 737 Max pilots about the software system that contributed to 2 fatal crashes
Benjamin Zhang
2h
Boeing has come under scrutiny in recent months for failing to disclose the presence of the Maneuvering Characteristic Augmentation System (MCAS) on its Boeing 737 Max airliners.
In fact, the existence of MCAS came to light only after the crash of Lion Air Flight JT610 in October.
In a NASA-maintained database, pilots of the Boeing 737 Max expressed outrage at not being alerted to the presence of the system aboard the plane they fly. The furor around MCAS broke out once again in March after the crash of Ethiopian Airlines Flight ET302.
On Monday, Boeing CEO Dennis Muilenburg explained why the company installed MCAS on the 737 Max but didn't disclose the existence of the system to pilots, all while challenging the media's characterization of MCAS as an anti-stall system.
"When you take a look at the original design of the MCAS system. I think in some cases, in the media, it has been reported or described as an anti-stall system, which it is not." Muilenburg told reporters shortly after Boeing's annual shareholder meeting. "It's a system that's designed to provide handling qualities for the pilot that meet pilot preferences."
Muilenburg added, "We want the airplane to behave in the air similar to the previous generation of 737s. That's the preferred pilot feel for the airplane, and MCAS is designed to provide those kinds of handling qualities at a high angle of attack."
"It's a purposeful design. It's something that's designed to be part of how the airplanes fly. So it's part of the certification process," the Boeing CEO said. "It's not something that's a separate procedure or something that needs to be trained on separately."
"It's fundamentally embedded in the handling qualities of the airplane. So when you train on the airplane, you are being trained on MCAS," he added. "It's not a separate system to be trained on."
The need for MCAS is a direct result of an issue arising from the design of the 737 Max.
To fit the Max's larger, more fuel-efficient engines, Boeing had to position the engine farther forward and up. This change disrupted the plane's center of gravity and caused the Max to have a tendency to tip its nose upward during flight, increasing the likelihood of a stall. MCAS is designed to automatically counteract that tendency and point the nose of the plane down when the plane's angle-of-attack (AOA) sensor triggers a warning.
Boeing confirmed earlier this month that false readings from one of the 737 Max's AOA sensors triggered MCAS on both the Lion Air and the Ethiopian jets. As a result, MCAS improperly pushed the nose of the plane down during takeoff.
Boeing is working on a suite of proposed software fixes for MCAS
www.businessinsider.com
Benjamin Zhang
2h
Boeing has come under scrutiny in recent months for failing to disclose the presence of the Maneuvering Characteristic Augmentation System (MCAS) on its Boeing 737 Max airliners.
In fact, the existence of MCAS came to light only after the crash of Lion Air Flight JT610 in October.
In a NASA-maintained database, pilots of the Boeing 737 Max expressed outrage at not being alerted to the presence of the system aboard the plane they fly. The furor around MCAS broke out once again in March after the crash of Ethiopian Airlines Flight ET302.
On Monday, Boeing CEO Dennis Muilenburg explained why the company installed MCAS on the 737 Max but didn't disclose the existence of the system to pilots, all while challenging the media's characterization of MCAS as an anti-stall system.
"When you take a look at the original design of the MCAS system. I think in some cases, in the media, it has been reported or described as an anti-stall system, which it is not." Muilenburg told reporters shortly after Boeing's annual shareholder meeting. "It's a system that's designed to provide handling qualities for the pilot that meet pilot preferences."
Muilenburg added, "We want the airplane to behave in the air similar to the previous generation of 737s. That's the preferred pilot feel for the airplane, and MCAS is designed to provide those kinds of handling qualities at a high angle of attack."
"It's a purposeful design. It's something that's designed to be part of how the airplanes fly. So it's part of the certification process," the Boeing CEO said. "It's not something that's a separate procedure or something that needs to be trained on separately."
"It's fundamentally embedded in the handling qualities of the airplane. So when you train on the airplane, you are being trained on MCAS," he added. "It's not a separate system to be trained on."
The need for MCAS is a direct result of an issue arising from the design of the 737 Max.
To fit the Max's larger, more fuel-efficient engines, Boeing had to position the engine farther forward and up. This change disrupted the plane's center of gravity and caused the Max to have a tendency to tip its nose upward during flight, increasing the likelihood of a stall. MCAS is designed to automatically counteract that tendency and point the nose of the plane down when the plane's angle-of-attack (AOA) sensor triggers a warning.
Boeing confirmed earlier this month that false readings from one of the 737 Max's AOA sensors triggered MCAS on both the Lion Air and the Ethiopian jets. As a result, MCAS improperly pushed the nose of the plane down during takeoff.
Boeing is working on a suite of proposed software fixes for MCAS
Boeing's CEO explains why the company didn't tell 737 Max pilots about the software system that contributed to 2 fatal crashes
Boeing CEO Dennis Muilenburg explained on Monday why Boeing didn't notify 737 Max pilots of the existence of MCAS.
www.businessinsider.com
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Flydubai turns to Airbus as fate of Boeing 737 Max remains uncertain
Carrier is seeking compensation from Boeing for its grounded 737 Max fleet
Deena Kamel
April 29, 2019
Updated: April 30, 2019 - 09:14 AM
Flydubai, the second largest customer of the now-grounded Boeing 737 Max jets, is in talks with Airbus for an order of the competing A320 Neo narrow-body model in the absence of a timeframe for the return of the troubled Maxs to the skies.
The low-cost carrier is seeking compensation from Boeing for its grounded 14 Boeing 737 Maxs and believes the US planemaker’s communication about fixes on the jet can be improved, Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, the carrier’s chairman, said at the Arabian Travel Market in Dubai on Monday. Flydubai, which operates an all-Boeing 737 fleet, has ordered 250 of the re-engined narrowbody model.
“That gave me an option to talk to Airbus to see what exactly will happen because you have to understand until today we don’t have a definite date when this aircraft will be flying,” Sheikh Ahmed told reporters. “I cannot just not do anything about it.”
Flydubai joins carriers such as Norwegian Air in demanding compensation from Boeing, who is facing mounting costs and a crisis of confidence in its Max jets after the model was involved in two deadly crashes in Ethiopia and Indonesia within a span of five months. Flydubai grounded its fleet of 14 Maxs following directives from the UAE aviation regulator in March. The narrowbody aircraft is the workhorse of airlines, especially low-cost carriers.
Sheikh Ahmed declined to say when Flydubai would decide if it will pursue a replacement order nor would he disclose the amount of compensation that Flydubai would seek.
“I have to ask, it’s my right,” he said. “I didn’t ground those 14 aircraft because I wanted to do it. Even if I wanted to fly it I won’t be able to because nobody will allow it over their airspace.”
The grounding came at a cost for Flydubai, causing “a disturbance and a number of shrinking of routes”, he said.
The airline wants to leave the option open to modify its Max order to A320 Neos in order to forge ahead with its growth plans, he said. A decision will depend on when the aircraft will be fit to fly and the size of the compensation.
“We will act within the contract we have today,” he said.
“Flydubai has been and continues to be a valued customer, and we are sorry for the disruption this situation has caused them. We are focused on earning their trust and supporting all of our customers around the world in every way possible to ensure complete confidence in the 737 Max and a safe return to commercial flight,” a Boeing spokeswoman said in an emailed statement.
Several customers of the Max are reconsidering their orders amid escalating concerns of the jet’s safety. Saudi Arabia’s low-cost airline Flyadeal will decide “within weeks” if it will proceed with its existing order of 30 Max jets, its chief executive Con Korfiatis told The National on Sunday.
Communication with Boeing “could be better” as Flydubai wants know more about the Max’s system programming, pilot training, when the jet will resume service and measures introduced to fix the jet, Sheikh Ahmed said.
“There’s still areas that were not answered yet, I don’t want really the delay to continue,” he said.
Boeing is working on a software upgrade to fix the 737 Max jet and new training for pilots that must be approved by regulators before the aircraft is re-certified to resume flying.
The 737 range has been in operation since 1967 and is Boeing's most successful jet commercially. The 737 Max 8 is one of the smaller jets in Boeing's Max family of re-engined narrow-body jets.
Flydubai turns to Airbus as fate of Boeing 737 Max remains uncertain
Carrier is seeking compensation from Boeing for its grounded 737 Max fleet
Deena Kamel
April 29, 2019
Updated: April 30, 2019 - 09:14 AM
Flydubai, the second largest customer of the now-grounded Boeing 737 Max jets, is in talks with Airbus for an order of the competing A320 Neo narrow-body model in the absence of a timeframe for the return of the troubled Maxs to the skies.
The low-cost carrier is seeking compensation from Boeing for its grounded 14 Boeing 737 Maxs and believes the US planemaker’s communication about fixes on the jet can be improved, Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, the carrier’s chairman, said at the Arabian Travel Market in Dubai on Monday. Flydubai, which operates an all-Boeing 737 fleet, has ordered 250 of the re-engined narrowbody model.
“That gave me an option to talk to Airbus to see what exactly will happen because you have to understand until today we don’t have a definite date when this aircraft will be flying,” Sheikh Ahmed told reporters. “I cannot just not do anything about it.”
Flydubai joins carriers such as Norwegian Air in demanding compensation from Boeing, who is facing mounting costs and a crisis of confidence in its Max jets after the model was involved in two deadly crashes in Ethiopia and Indonesia within a span of five months. Flydubai grounded its fleet of 14 Maxs following directives from the UAE aviation regulator in March. The narrowbody aircraft is the workhorse of airlines, especially low-cost carriers.
Sheikh Ahmed declined to say when Flydubai would decide if it will pursue a replacement order nor would he disclose the amount of compensation that Flydubai would seek.
“I have to ask, it’s my right,” he said. “I didn’t ground those 14 aircraft because I wanted to do it. Even if I wanted to fly it I won’t be able to because nobody will allow it over their airspace.”
The grounding came at a cost for Flydubai, causing “a disturbance and a number of shrinking of routes”, he said.
The airline wants to leave the option open to modify its Max order to A320 Neos in order to forge ahead with its growth plans, he said. A decision will depend on when the aircraft will be fit to fly and the size of the compensation.
“We will act within the contract we have today,” he said.
“Flydubai has been and continues to be a valued customer, and we are sorry for the disruption this situation has caused them. We are focused on earning their trust and supporting all of our customers around the world in every way possible to ensure complete confidence in the 737 Max and a safe return to commercial flight,” a Boeing spokeswoman said in an emailed statement.
Several customers of the Max are reconsidering their orders amid escalating concerns of the jet’s safety. Saudi Arabia’s low-cost airline Flyadeal will decide “within weeks” if it will proceed with its existing order of 30 Max jets, its chief executive Con Korfiatis told The National on Sunday.
Communication with Boeing “could be better” as Flydubai wants know more about the Max’s system programming, pilot training, when the jet will resume service and measures introduced to fix the jet, Sheikh Ahmed said.
“There’s still areas that were not answered yet, I don’t want really the delay to continue,” he said.
Boeing is working on a software upgrade to fix the 737 Max jet and new training for pilots that must be approved by regulators before the aircraft is re-certified to resume flying.
The 737 range has been in operation since 1967 and is Boeing's most successful jet commercially. The 737 Max 8 is one of the smaller jets in Boeing's Max family of re-engined narrow-body jets.
Flydubai turns to Airbus as fate of Boeing 737 Max remains uncertain
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Boeing told Southwest alarm not included after Max crash
Bloomberg
April 29, 2019
World’s largest 737 operator and its pilots thought a key warning light worked on all jets
Southwest Airlines only learned warning was not standard on Max jets following fatal accident. AP
Southwest Airlines first learnt from Boeing after a deadly Lion Air crash in October that an alert warning pilots of a sensor malfunction linked to the disaster was not a standard feature on the 737 Max.
The world’s largest 737 operator and its pilots had thought that the warning light worked on all Max jets, as it had on the previous generation of 737 aircraft, Southwest said on Sunday. The airline only learnt after the accident that on the Max, the feature was connected to a separate indicator display –available for a fee – that provides readings from the plane’s two angle-of-attack (AOA) vanes.
“It was presented that it worked,” Jon Weaks, president of the Southwest pilots union, said of the so-called AOA disagreement alert. “It wasn’t presented that you had to have two AOA indicators on the primary flight display for it to work.”
The revelation raises new questions about Boeing’s best-selling jet as the company works to convince airlines and regulators that the Max will be safe once a software update is installed. The manufacturer is already under scrutiny over how it communicated critical details of the sensors and new software known as MCAS to airlines and regulators. US pilot unions were furious to learn that MCAS was not explained in crew manuals and training materials.
The sensors, which measure the tilt of an aircraft against onrushing wind, played a role not just in the Lion Air crash off the coast of Indonesia but in a subsequent tragedy less than five months later in Ethiopia. The two accidents killed a total of 346 people, and regulators around the world grounded the plane after the Ethiopian Airlines 737 Max 8 fell out of the sky March 10 minutes after take-off from Addis Ababa.
In both disasters, erroneous readings from a single angle-of-attack vane activated the Manoeuvring Characteristics Augmentation System, a previously obscure system that was added to the Max. That overwhelmed flight crews by repeatedly pushing the jet nose downward.
Southwest had assumed, until it learnt otherwise from Boeing, that the Max’s primary flight display included an alert that showed when the AOA vanes were sending conflicting data to the plane’s flight computers, said Brandy King, a spokeswoman for the Dallas airline.
After the October crash, Boeing told the airline that the so-called disagree light only worked if customers bought an additional AOA indicator display. That was not the case on the previous NG variant of 737s. The Max entered commercial service in May 2017.
“After the Lion Air event, we were notified that the AOA disagree lights were inoperable without the optional AOA indicators on the Max aircraft,” Ms King said, referring to the equipment by its acronym. “The manual documentation presented by Boeing at Max entry into service indicated the AOA disagree light functioned on the aircraft, similar to how it works on our NG series.”
She spoke in response to an account in The Wall Street Journal.
After discussing the matter with Boeing, Southwest opted to add the angle-of-attack indicator to the primary flight display of its Max fleet, which resulted in the disagree lights also being activated. Boeing has since decided to make the AOA disagree a stand-alone feature on the Max, independent of the indicator. The Chicago manufacturer will also add the indicator at no cost for airlines that want it.
“A new software update will separate those two features, making AOA disagree alert a stand-alone standard feature and keeping AOA indicator as an additional customer-selected option,” said Chaz Bickers, a Boeing spokesman.
The Wall Street Journal reported that the discrepancy at Southwest prompted some mid-level Federal Aviation Administration officials to consider grounding the 737 Max after the Lion Air jet plunged into the Java Sea, minutes after taking off from Jakarta on October 29.
“We are not commenting on the so-called internal communication,” the FAA said.
Ms King disputed that Boeing intentionally deactivated the angle-of-attack disagree lights on Southwest’s jets, as the Journal suggested. And Southwest’s pilots were never aware of any discussion at the FAA to ground the airline’s Max aircraft shortly after the Lion Air crash, Mr Weaks said.
The gauges are not considered critical tools by most commercial pilots, although they may have alerted flight crews on the doomed flights to the haywire data reading that tripped MCAS along with audible and physical alarms known as a stick-shaker. Southwest aviators are not trained to routinely use AOA indicators while flying, Mr Weaks said.
“The AOAs are there as a nice cross-check and another safety tool, but airlines don’t train on flying by AOA,” Mr Weaks said. “Is it important? Sure. Is it nice to have? Sure. But it’s not what we primarily base flying the airplane on.”
Southwest is the largest operator of the Max, with a 34-jet fleet. The budget carrier has taken the aircraft out of its flight schedule through August 5. The grounding of the Max, along with flight cancellations tied to weather and a labour disruption, carved $200 million from first-quarter revenue and $150m from net income.
“We’re not happy with the situation,” Southwest president Tom Nealon said about the parked planes. “Who would be? Boeing has already conceded that there are things that they need to address. And obviously, we totally agree with that.”
Updated: April 29, 2019 12:16 PM
Boeing told Southwest alarm not included after Max crash
Bloomberg
April 29, 2019
World’s largest 737 operator and its pilots thought a key warning light worked on all jets
Southwest Airlines first learnt from Boeing after a deadly Lion Air crash in October that an alert warning pilots of a sensor malfunction linked to the disaster was not a standard feature on the 737 Max.
The world’s largest 737 operator and its pilots had thought that the warning light worked on all Max jets, as it had on the previous generation of 737 aircraft, Southwest said on Sunday. The airline only learnt after the accident that on the Max, the feature was connected to a separate indicator display –available for a fee – that provides readings from the plane’s two angle-of-attack (AOA) vanes.
“It was presented that it worked,” Jon Weaks, president of the Southwest pilots union, said of the so-called AOA disagreement alert. “It wasn’t presented that you had to have two AOA indicators on the primary flight display for it to work.”
The revelation raises new questions about Boeing’s best-selling jet as the company works to convince airlines and regulators that the Max will be safe once a software update is installed. The manufacturer is already under scrutiny over how it communicated critical details of the sensors and new software known as MCAS to airlines and regulators. US pilot unions were furious to learn that MCAS was not explained in crew manuals and training materials.
The sensors, which measure the tilt of an aircraft against onrushing wind, played a role not just in the Lion Air crash off the coast of Indonesia but in a subsequent tragedy less than five months later in Ethiopia. The two accidents killed a total of 346 people, and regulators around the world grounded the plane after the Ethiopian Airlines 737 Max 8 fell out of the sky March 10 minutes after take-off from Addis Ababa.
In both disasters, erroneous readings from a single angle-of-attack vane activated the Manoeuvring Characteristics Augmentation System, a previously obscure system that was added to the Max. That overwhelmed flight crews by repeatedly pushing the jet nose downward.
Southwest had assumed, until it learnt otherwise from Boeing, that the Max’s primary flight display included an alert that showed when the AOA vanes were sending conflicting data to the plane’s flight computers, said Brandy King, a spokeswoman for the Dallas airline.
After the October crash, Boeing told the airline that the so-called disagree light only worked if customers bought an additional AOA indicator display. That was not the case on the previous NG variant of 737s. The Max entered commercial service in May 2017.
“After the Lion Air event, we were notified that the AOA disagree lights were inoperable without the optional AOA indicators on the Max aircraft,” Ms King said, referring to the equipment by its acronym. “The manual documentation presented by Boeing at Max entry into service indicated the AOA disagree light functioned on the aircraft, similar to how it works on our NG series.”
She spoke in response to an account in The Wall Street Journal.
After discussing the matter with Boeing, Southwest opted to add the angle-of-attack indicator to the primary flight display of its Max fleet, which resulted in the disagree lights also being activated. Boeing has since decided to make the AOA disagree a stand-alone feature on the Max, independent of the indicator. The Chicago manufacturer will also add the indicator at no cost for airlines that want it.
“A new software update will separate those two features, making AOA disagree alert a stand-alone standard feature and keeping AOA indicator as an additional customer-selected option,” said Chaz Bickers, a Boeing spokesman.
The Wall Street Journal reported that the discrepancy at Southwest prompted some mid-level Federal Aviation Administration officials to consider grounding the 737 Max after the Lion Air jet plunged into the Java Sea, minutes after taking off from Jakarta on October 29.
“We are not commenting on the so-called internal communication,” the FAA said.
Ms King disputed that Boeing intentionally deactivated the angle-of-attack disagree lights on Southwest’s jets, as the Journal suggested. And Southwest’s pilots were never aware of any discussion at the FAA to ground the airline’s Max aircraft shortly after the Lion Air crash, Mr Weaks said.
The gauges are not considered critical tools by most commercial pilots, although they may have alerted flight crews on the doomed flights to the haywire data reading that tripped MCAS along with audible and physical alarms known as a stick-shaker. Southwest aviators are not trained to routinely use AOA indicators while flying, Mr Weaks said.
“The AOAs are there as a nice cross-check and another safety tool, but airlines don’t train on flying by AOA,” Mr Weaks said. “Is it important? Sure. Is it nice to have? Sure. But it’s not what we primarily base flying the airplane on.”
Southwest is the largest operator of the Max, with a 34-jet fleet. The budget carrier has taken the aircraft out of its flight schedule through August 5. The grounding of the Max, along with flight cancellations tied to weather and a labour disruption, carved $200 million from first-quarter revenue and $150m from net income.
“We’re not happy with the situation,” Southwest president Tom Nealon said about the parked planes. “Who would be? Boeing has already conceded that there are things that they need to address. And obviously, we totally agree with that.”
Updated: April 29, 2019 12:16 PM
Boeing told Southwest alarm not included after Max crash
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APRIL 30, 2019
Boeing CEO: 737 Max will be 'one of the safest planes ever to fly'
By Nicholas Sakelaris
Boeing CEO Dennis Muilenberg said Monday the 737 Max aircraft are nearing certification to return to flight. Photo by Bill Greenblatt/UPI | License Photo
April 30 (UPI) -- Boeing has clarified why a safety feature on its 737 Max airplanes was switched off on some models -- an explanation that came after some U.S. pilots said they weren't told until one of the planes crashed last fall.
Monday, Southwest Airlines said the feature -- a warning light to indicate a faulty Angle of Attack sensor -- apparently hadn't been working, and Boeing didn't say anything about it until a Max 8 plane crashed off Indonesia in October. The carrier and pilots said they were led to believe the alert was always functional.
Boeing said late Monday the warning, called a disagree alert, was an optional feature switched on only for carriers that ordered the plane with a separate indicator display. Boeing said it didn't intentionally deactivate the alert.
"Unless an airline opted for the angle of attack indicator, the disagree alert was not operable," the company said.
The AOA sensor is believed to have played a role in the crashes of two 737 Max 8s in Indonesia and Ethiopia. The models have been grounded worldwide until Boeing fixes the fleet. The company says it's working on a software update, but the planes aren't expected to return to flight for months. Southwest and American Airlines said they won't fly them again until at least August.
Boeing has also said it will switch on the AOA sensor warning at no cost, and that all future Max aircraft will have a functional disagree alert.
In an address to shareholders later Monday, Boeing CEO Dennis Muilenburgsaid the disagree alert isn't a necessary piece of equipment for pilots to safely fly the plane.
"We don't make safety features optional," he said. "Safety has been and always will be our top priority, and every one of our airplanes includes all of the safety features necessary for safe flight.
"We feel the immense gravity of these events and recognize the devastation of the families and friends of the loved ones who perished. We also regret the impact the grounding has had on our airline customers and their passengers."
Muilenburg said Boeing has finished its engineering test flight with the new software, the final step before the certification flight.
"With the certified software update implemented, the 737 MAX will be one of the safest airplanes ever to fly," he added.
Shareholders on Monday rejected a proposal to split Muilenberg's roles as chairman and CEO, which would have stripped him of one of the titles.
Outside the Chicago office building where Muilenburg spoke, Protesters demanded safety and accountability.
"Their response has been a farce," activist Tarek Milleron, whose 24-year-old niece died in the Ethiopian Airlines crash, told The Washington Post. "It's a hollow denial."
Boeing CEO: 737 Max will be 'one of the safest planes ever to fly'
Boeing CEO: 737 Max will be 'one of the safest planes ever to fly'
By Nicholas Sakelaris
Boeing CEO Dennis Muilenberg said Monday the 737 Max aircraft are nearing certification to return to flight. Photo by Bill Greenblatt/UPI | License Photo
April 30 (UPI) -- Boeing has clarified why a safety feature on its 737 Max airplanes was switched off on some models -- an explanation that came after some U.S. pilots said they weren't told until one of the planes crashed last fall.
Monday, Southwest Airlines said the feature -- a warning light to indicate a faulty Angle of Attack sensor -- apparently hadn't been working, and Boeing didn't say anything about it until a Max 8 plane crashed off Indonesia in October. The carrier and pilots said they were led to believe the alert was always functional.
Boeing said late Monday the warning, called a disagree alert, was an optional feature switched on only for carriers that ordered the plane with a separate indicator display. Boeing said it didn't intentionally deactivate the alert.
"Unless an airline opted for the angle of attack indicator, the disagree alert was not operable," the company said.
The AOA sensor is believed to have played a role in the crashes of two 737 Max 8s in Indonesia and Ethiopia. The models have been grounded worldwide until Boeing fixes the fleet. The company says it's working on a software update, but the planes aren't expected to return to flight for months. Southwest and American Airlines said they won't fly them again until at least August.
Boeing has also said it will switch on the AOA sensor warning at no cost, and that all future Max aircraft will have a functional disagree alert.
In an address to shareholders later Monday, Boeing CEO Dennis Muilenburgsaid the disagree alert isn't a necessary piece of equipment for pilots to safely fly the plane.
"We don't make safety features optional," he said. "Safety has been and always will be our top priority, and every one of our airplanes includes all of the safety features necessary for safe flight.
"We feel the immense gravity of these events and recognize the devastation of the families and friends of the loved ones who perished. We also regret the impact the grounding has had on our airline customers and their passengers."
Muilenburg said Boeing has finished its engineering test flight with the new software, the final step before the certification flight.
"With the certified software update implemented, the 737 MAX will be one of the safest airplanes ever to fly," he added.
Shareholders on Monday rejected a proposal to split Muilenberg's roles as chairman and CEO, which would have stripped him of one of the titles.
Outside the Chicago office building where Muilenburg spoke, Protesters demanded safety and accountability.
"Their response has been a farce," activist Tarek Milleron, whose 24-year-old niece died in the Ethiopian Airlines crash, told The Washington Post. "It's a hollow denial."
Boeing CEO: 737 Max will be 'one of the safest planes ever to fly'
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Boeing Whistle-blowers Told US Authorities About 737 MAX Problems – Reports
AP Photo / Elaine Thompson
27.04.2019
Problems with the unique anti-stall system in Boeing’s newest plane have been linked to two deadly crashes of 737 MAX jets, which killed a total of 346 people. International civil aviation authorities are set to meet on 29 April to discuss the issue involving the aircraft, which have been grounded since the Ethiopian Airlines jet tragedy.
Four Boeing employees reportedly called the Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) safety hotline in the wake of the release of a preliminary report on March’s Ethiopian Airlines tragedy, which happened just four months after another 737 MAX plane, belonging to Lion Air, crashed in Indonesia.
As the CNN reported, citing a source familiar with the situation, the whistle-blowers were current and former employees of the US-based aviation giant. They are said to have complained about issues linked to the angle of attack sensor and the anti-stall system, MCAS, which were earlier mentioned to have played a role in the two crashes.
According to the US broadcaster, these reports may be opening up a new angle in the ongoing probe into the cause of the tragedy. Among other things, an issue involving damage to the sensor wiring by a foreign object was reported. The employees complained about the MCAS control cut-out switches, which disengage its software, CNN reports.
The new details emerged just a day before a gathering of international civil aviation authorities, who are to meet in Dallas, to discuss the situation around the 737 MAX planes on 29 April. On the same day, Boeing’s CEO is set to hold a presser after a shareholder meeting.
The US aircraft manufacturer said that it has taken on $1 billion in additional costs due to the international grounding of its global 737 MAX fleet following the second deadly crash.
Following the Ethiopian Airlines crash and the October 2018 crash of a Lion Air-operated 737 MAX 8 into the Java Sea that killed in total 346 people, a number of countries, including the US, China, India, Egypt, Vietnam, and EU states blocked the Boeing 737 MAX 8 from their airspace as investigations regarding the crashes are carried out.
So far, the plane's new flight control system, the Maneuvering Characteristics Augmentation System (MCAS), has been implicated as a cause in both disasters. The MCAS, initially designed as a safety feature, is supposed to evaluate sensor data and push the plane's nose down to keep it from stalling in the event that the nose is too high.
sptnkne.ws
AP Photo / Elaine Thompson
27.04.2019
Problems with the unique anti-stall system in Boeing’s newest plane have been linked to two deadly crashes of 737 MAX jets, which killed a total of 346 people. International civil aviation authorities are set to meet on 29 April to discuss the issue involving the aircraft, which have been grounded since the Ethiopian Airlines jet tragedy.
Four Boeing employees reportedly called the Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) safety hotline in the wake of the release of a preliminary report on March’s Ethiopian Airlines tragedy, which happened just four months after another 737 MAX plane, belonging to Lion Air, crashed in Indonesia.
As the CNN reported, citing a source familiar with the situation, the whistle-blowers were current and former employees of the US-based aviation giant. They are said to have complained about issues linked to the angle of attack sensor and the anti-stall system, MCAS, which were earlier mentioned to have played a role in the two crashes.
According to the US broadcaster, these reports may be opening up a new angle in the ongoing probe into the cause of the tragedy. Among other things, an issue involving damage to the sensor wiring by a foreign object was reported. The employees complained about the MCAS control cut-out switches, which disengage its software, CNN reports.
The new details emerged just a day before a gathering of international civil aviation authorities, who are to meet in Dallas, to discuss the situation around the 737 MAX planes on 29 April. On the same day, Boeing’s CEO is set to hold a presser after a shareholder meeting.
The US aircraft manufacturer said that it has taken on $1 billion in additional costs due to the international grounding of its global 737 MAX fleet following the second deadly crash.
Following the Ethiopian Airlines crash and the October 2018 crash of a Lion Air-operated 737 MAX 8 into the Java Sea that killed in total 346 people, a number of countries, including the US, China, India, Egypt, Vietnam, and EU states blocked the Boeing 737 MAX 8 from their airspace as investigations regarding the crashes are carried out.
So far, the plane's new flight control system, the Maneuvering Characteristics Augmentation System (MCAS), has been implicated as a cause in both disasters. The MCAS, initially designed as a safety feature, is supposed to evaluate sensor data and push the plane's nose down to keep it from stalling in the event that the nose is too high.
Boeing Whistle-blowers Told US Authorities About 737 MAX Problems – Reports
Problems with the unique anti-stall system in Boeing’s newest plane have been linked to two deadly crashes of 737 MAX jets, which killed a total of 346 people. International civil aviation authorities are set to meet on 29 April to discuss...
sptnkne.ws
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Boeing Statement on AOA Disagree Alert
News Release Issued: May 5, 2019 (12:00pm EDT)
On every airplane delivered to our customers, including the MAX, all flight data and information needed to safely operate the aircraft is provided in the flight deck on the primary flight deck displays. This information is provided full-time in the pilots’ primary field of view, and it always has been.
Air speed, attitude, altitude, vertical speed, heading and engine power settings are the primary parameters the flight crews use to safely operate the airplane in normal flight. Stick shaker and the pitch limit indicator are the primary features used for the operation of the airplane at elevated angles of attack. All recommended pilot actions, checklists, and training are based upon these primary indicators. Neither the angle of attack indicator nor the AOA Disagree alert are necessary for the safe operation of the airplane. They provide supplemental information only, and have never been considered safety features on commercial jet transport airplanes.
The Boeing design requirements for the 737 MAX included the AOA Disagree alert as a standard, standalone feature, in keeping with Boeing’s fundamental design philosophy of retaining commonality with the 737NG. In 2017, within several months after beginning 737 MAX deliveries, engineers at Boeing identified that the 737 MAX display system software did not correctly meet the AOA Disagree alert requirements. The software delivered to Boeing linked the AOA Disagree alert to the AOA indicator, which is an optional feature on the MAX and the NG. Accordingly, the software activated the AOA Disagree alert only if an airline opted for the AOA indicator.
When the discrepancy between the requirements and the software was identified, Boeing followed its standard process for determining the appropriate resolution of such issues. That review, which involved multiple company subject matter experts, determined that the absence of the AOA Disagree alert did not adversely impact airplane safety or operation. Accordingly, the review concluded, the existing functionality was acceptable until the alert and the indicator could be delinked in the next planned display system software update. Senior company leadership was not involved in the review and first became aware of this issue in the aftermath of the Lion Air accident.
Approximately a week after the Lion Air accident, on November 6, 2018, Boeing issued an Operations Manual Bulletin (OMB), which was followed a day later by the FAA’s issuance of an Airworthiness Directive (AD). In identifying the AOA Disagree alert as one among a number of indications that could result from erroneous AOA, both the OMB and the AD described the AOA Disagree alert feature as available only if the AOA indicator option is installed.
Boeing discussed the status of the AOA Disagree alert with the FAA in the wake of the Lion Air accident. At that time, Boeing informed the FAA that Boeing engineers had identified the software issue in 2017 and had determined per Boeing’s standard process that the issue did not adversely impact airplane safety or operation. In December 2018, Boeing convened a Safety Review Board (SRB) to consider again whether the absence of the AOA Disagree alert from certain 737 MAX flight displays presented a safety issue. That SRB confirmed Boeing’s prior conclusion that it did not. Boeing shared this conclusion and the supporting SRB analysis with the FAA.
Boeing is issuing a display system software update, to implement the AOA Disagree alert as a standard, standalone feature before the MAX returns to service. When the MAX returns to service, all MAX production aircraft will have an activated and operable AOA Disagree alert and an optional angle of attack indicator. All customers with previously delivered MAX airplanes will have the ability to activate the AOA Disagree alert.
boeing.mediaroom.com
News Release Issued: May 5, 2019 (12:00pm EDT)
On every airplane delivered to our customers, including the MAX, all flight data and information needed to safely operate the aircraft is provided in the flight deck on the primary flight deck displays. This information is provided full-time in the pilots’ primary field of view, and it always has been.
Air speed, attitude, altitude, vertical speed, heading and engine power settings are the primary parameters the flight crews use to safely operate the airplane in normal flight. Stick shaker and the pitch limit indicator are the primary features used for the operation of the airplane at elevated angles of attack. All recommended pilot actions, checklists, and training are based upon these primary indicators. Neither the angle of attack indicator nor the AOA Disagree alert are necessary for the safe operation of the airplane. They provide supplemental information only, and have never been considered safety features on commercial jet transport airplanes.
The Boeing design requirements for the 737 MAX included the AOA Disagree alert as a standard, standalone feature, in keeping with Boeing’s fundamental design philosophy of retaining commonality with the 737NG. In 2017, within several months after beginning 737 MAX deliveries, engineers at Boeing identified that the 737 MAX display system software did not correctly meet the AOA Disagree alert requirements. The software delivered to Boeing linked the AOA Disagree alert to the AOA indicator, which is an optional feature on the MAX and the NG. Accordingly, the software activated the AOA Disagree alert only if an airline opted for the AOA indicator.
When the discrepancy between the requirements and the software was identified, Boeing followed its standard process for determining the appropriate resolution of such issues. That review, which involved multiple company subject matter experts, determined that the absence of the AOA Disagree alert did not adversely impact airplane safety or operation. Accordingly, the review concluded, the existing functionality was acceptable until the alert and the indicator could be delinked in the next planned display system software update. Senior company leadership was not involved in the review and first became aware of this issue in the aftermath of the Lion Air accident.
Approximately a week after the Lion Air accident, on November 6, 2018, Boeing issued an Operations Manual Bulletin (OMB), which was followed a day later by the FAA’s issuance of an Airworthiness Directive (AD). In identifying the AOA Disagree alert as one among a number of indications that could result from erroneous AOA, both the OMB and the AD described the AOA Disagree alert feature as available only if the AOA indicator option is installed.
Boeing discussed the status of the AOA Disagree alert with the FAA in the wake of the Lion Air accident. At that time, Boeing informed the FAA that Boeing engineers had identified the software issue in 2017 and had determined per Boeing’s standard process that the issue did not adversely impact airplane safety or operation. In December 2018, Boeing convened a Safety Review Board (SRB) to consider again whether the absence of the AOA Disagree alert from certain 737 MAX flight displays presented a safety issue. That SRB confirmed Boeing’s prior conclusion that it did not. Boeing shared this conclusion and the supporting SRB analysis with the FAA.
Boeing is issuing a display system software update, to implement the AOA Disagree alert as a standard, standalone feature before the MAX returns to service. When the MAX returns to service, all MAX production aircraft will have an activated and operable AOA Disagree alert and an optional angle of attack indicator. All customers with previously delivered MAX airplanes will have the ability to activate the AOA Disagree alert.
Boeing Statement on AOA Disagree Alert
On every airplane delivered to our customers, including the MAX, all flight data and information needed to safely operate the aircraft is provided in the flight deck on the primary flight deck...
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Boeing 737 MAX may not return to service until August: IATA head
Reuters
May 29, 2019
The 737 MAX was grounded globally in March after a crash in Ethiopia killed all 157 people on board, the model’s second deadly crash in five months.
“We do not expect something before 10 to 12 weeks in re-entry into service,” IATA Director General Alexandre de Juniac told reporters in Seoul. “But it is not our hands. That is in the hands of regulators.”
IATA plans to organize a summit with airlines, regulators and the manufacturer in 5 to 7 weeks to discuss what is needed for the 737 MAX to return to service, he said.
At an IATA meeting in Montreal last week, airline members said they wanted regulators to cooperate closely on the decision for the plane’s re-entry to service, de Juniac said.
“We hope that they will align their timeframe,” he said of regulators.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) expects to approve the jet’s return to service as soon as late June, representatives of the US air regulator informed members of the United Nations’ aviation agency in a private briefing last week, sources told Reuters.
US operators United Airlines, Southwest Airlines, and American Airlines have removed the planes from their flight schedules until early to mid-August.
www.arabnews.com
Reuters
May 29, 2019
- The 737 MAX was grounded globally in March after a crash in Ethiopia, the model’s second deadly crash in five months
- Airline members want regulators to cooperate closely on the decision for the plane’s re-entry to service
The 737 MAX was grounded globally in March after a crash in Ethiopia killed all 157 people on board, the model’s second deadly crash in five months.
“We do not expect something before 10 to 12 weeks in re-entry into service,” IATA Director General Alexandre de Juniac told reporters in Seoul. “But it is not our hands. That is in the hands of regulators.”
IATA plans to organize a summit with airlines, regulators and the manufacturer in 5 to 7 weeks to discuss what is needed for the 737 MAX to return to service, he said.
At an IATA meeting in Montreal last week, airline members said they wanted regulators to cooperate closely on the decision for the plane’s re-entry to service, de Juniac said.
“We hope that they will align their timeframe,” he said of regulators.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) expects to approve the jet’s return to service as soon as late June, representatives of the US air regulator informed members of the United Nations’ aviation agency in a private briefing last week, sources told Reuters.
US operators United Airlines, Southwest Airlines, and American Airlines have removed the planes from their flight schedules until early to mid-August.
Boeing 737 MAX may not return to service until August: IATA head
SEOUL: The International Air Transport Association (IATA) expects it could take until August before the Boeing 737 MAX returns to service, the airline group’s head said on Wednesday, adding that the final say on the timing rested with regulators. The 737 MAX was grounded globally in March after...
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Boeing CEO apologizes to victims of Ethiopia, Indonesia crashes
By Nicholas Sakelaris
MAY 30, 2019
Boeing CEO Dennis Muilenburg said Wednesday he'd put his own family aboard a 737 Max "without hesitation." File Photo by David Silpa/UPI | License Photo
May 30 (UPI) -- In his first remarks to news media about two deadly crashes involving his company's planes, Boeing CEO Dennis Muilenburg apologized to the victims' families.
Muilenburg has been highly visible over the last few months following the crashes of two Boeing 737 Max 8 aircraft that killed a combined 346 people. The Max 8 and Max 9 have been grounded worldwide since March while investigators identify the causes and Boeing finalizes a software fix for the airliners' automated flight systems.
Muilenburg apologized to the victims' families in a video message last month, but Wednesday was the first time he spoke to news media. The Boeing chief told CBS News the 737 Max will be safe when it returns to the skies, and said he'd put his own family on one of the planes "without hesitation."
"I do personally apologize to the families," Muilenburg said. "We feel terrible about these accidents. We apologize for what happened. We are sorry for the loss of lives in both accidents, and that will never change. That will always be with us. I can tell you it affects me directly as a leader of this company, it's very difficult."
Boeing and the Federal Aviation Administration have been under scrutiny for how the anti-stall system and warnings for pilots on the 737 Max were implemented and tested. Investigators have said sensors on both downed planes fed the flight system inaccurate data.
"We know there was inaccurate sensor data that came into the airplane and there appeared to be a maintenance issue with that sensor," Muilenburg said. "The implementation of that software, we did not do it correctly. Our engineers discovered that. We are fixing it now, and our communication on that was not what it should have been."
The airplane manufacturer said this month it knew for more than a year a cockpit alert wasn't working properly. If the angle-of-attack sensors had conflicting data, the alert was supposed to go off before the airplane automatically went into a steep dive to avoid a stall.
"We clearly fell short and the implementation of this angle-of-attack disagree alert was a mistake, right, we did not implement it properly," Muilenburg said. "We're confident in the fundamental safety of the airplane."
"We know ... the public's confidence has been hurt by these accidents and that we have work to do to earn and re-earn the trust of the flying public, and we will do that," Muilenburg told an investor conference earlier Wednesday. "We are taking all actions necessary to make sure that accidents like those two ... never happen again."
www.upi.com
By Nicholas Sakelaris
MAY 30, 2019
Boeing CEO Dennis Muilenburg said Wednesday he'd put his own family aboard a 737 Max "without hesitation." File Photo by David Silpa/UPI | License Photo
May 30 (UPI) -- In his first remarks to news media about two deadly crashes involving his company's planes, Boeing CEO Dennis Muilenburg apologized to the victims' families.
Muilenburg has been highly visible over the last few months following the crashes of two Boeing 737 Max 8 aircraft that killed a combined 346 people. The Max 8 and Max 9 have been grounded worldwide since March while investigators identify the causes and Boeing finalizes a software fix for the airliners' automated flight systems.
Muilenburg apologized to the victims' families in a video message last month, but Wednesday was the first time he spoke to news media. The Boeing chief told CBS News the 737 Max will be safe when it returns to the skies, and said he'd put his own family on one of the planes "without hesitation."
"I do personally apologize to the families," Muilenburg said. "We feel terrible about these accidents. We apologize for what happened. We are sorry for the loss of lives in both accidents, and that will never change. That will always be with us. I can tell you it affects me directly as a leader of this company, it's very difficult."
Boeing and the Federal Aviation Administration have been under scrutiny for how the anti-stall system and warnings for pilots on the 737 Max were implemented and tested. Investigators have said sensors on both downed planes fed the flight system inaccurate data.
"We know there was inaccurate sensor data that came into the airplane and there appeared to be a maintenance issue with that sensor," Muilenburg said. "The implementation of that software, we did not do it correctly. Our engineers discovered that. We are fixing it now, and our communication on that was not what it should have been."
The airplane manufacturer said this month it knew for more than a year a cockpit alert wasn't working properly. If the angle-of-attack sensors had conflicting data, the alert was supposed to go off before the airplane automatically went into a steep dive to avoid a stall.
"We clearly fell short and the implementation of this angle-of-attack disagree alert was a mistake, right, we did not implement it properly," Muilenburg said. "We're confident in the fundamental safety of the airplane."
"We know ... the public's confidence has been hurt by these accidents and that we have work to do to earn and re-earn the trust of the flying public, and we will do that," Muilenburg told an investor conference earlier Wednesday. "We are taking all actions necessary to make sure that accidents like those two ... never happen again."
Boeing CEO Dennis Muilenburg apologizes to victims of Ethiopia, Indonesia crashes - UPI.com
In his first remarks to news media about two deadly crashes involving his company's planes, Boeing CEO Dennis Muilenburg apologized to the victims' families.