Inspectors wanted to 2018 ban on flights for 737 MAX

The stabilization system used for the Boeing 737 MAX, which is supposed to have caused two air crashes, in the past year to be targeted by the US-FAA FAA. Inspectors considered to 2018, a flight stop for machines of this type to arrange.

This report informed circles on Sunday (local time). Reason was that Boeing had disabled a warning system for malfunction of the MCAS – apparently, without the airline knowing about it.

After two crashes of Boeing 737 MAX in less than five months the world had been imposed in March-wide ban on flights for this aircraft. First of all, such a Boeing crashed in October 2018 and prior to the Indonesian island of Java. All 189 occupants were killed.

nose down

In March, a machine of the airline Ethiopian Airlines in Ethiopia, died in an accident. All 157 people on Board were killed. In both cases, the specifically for the Boeing 737 MAX developed stabilization system MCAS (Maneuvering Characteristics Augmentation System) is suspected to have a devastating role played. It pushes in the case of an impending flow, the nose of the aircraft demolition down automatically, even if the pilots are against taxes.

the FAA has addressed already in the past year, with the MCAS, reported now first of all, the "Wall Street Journal". FAA inspectors who were charged with the supervision of the U.S. airline Southwest Airlines, learned that a warning system for malfunction of the MCAS was disabled in the machines of the Airline. This was only after the incident of the Lion Air in Indonesia known.

Conflicting data

A Southwest spokeswoman said, in front of the Lion Air accident was a Boeing, as was the warning signal for MCAS-fail function is enabled in all of the Boeing MAX. After the crash in Indonesia, Boeing informed the airline, but the fact that the warning system is not activated. An activation, so it turned out, was a paid add-on option.

The airline – this time with 34 machines of the largest Boeing-MAX-customer – decided to take this Option for all of your machines. As the Air traffic control FAA learned of this, it is verified whether the pilots needed additional Training, and the machines would have to remain on the ground. The inspectors but decided against in the end. The information has not been given to the level of management of the authority.

On Sunday, Boeing said, in the future, will stand all the Boeing 737 MAX, the warning system available for free.

The warning system draws attention to the fact, if two AOA Sensors that provide data to the increase in the angle of the machine, provide conflicting information on the MCAS. In the crash of the Lion Air-machine, exactly is supposed to be the case. Investigators assume that the MCAS pushed the nose of the aircraft, therefore, erroneously down while the pilot tried desperately to the machine. (nag/sda)

Created: 29.04.2019, 07:52 PM