Quite a good vid to explain the basic problem, engine ground clearance, and arrogance in FAA's trust in Boeing.
Would you fly in a 737 Max 8 right now?
- Thread starter VIBC
- Start date
Pratt and Whitney saw the issue back in 2011 but rather than engines being too big they claimed they were too small. They were even right in saying a whole new aircraft would need to be built.
I wonder what the rush was to risk lives just to save on fuel?
I wonder what the rush was to risk lives just to save on fuel?
Boeing, FAA reviewing wiring issue on grounded 737 MAX
Reuters
Published:
January 5, 2020
Updated:
January 5, 2020 4:13 PM EST
Aerial photos showing Boeing 737 Max airplanes parked at Boeing Field in Seattle, Washington, U.S. October 20, 2019. Gary He / REUTERS
WASHINGTON — Boeing Co and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) confirmed on Sunday they are reviewing a wiring issue that could potentially cause a short circuit on the grounded 737 MAX.
Boeing spokesman Gordon Johndroe said Sunday the U.S. planemaker “identified this issue as part of that rigorous process, and we are working with the FAA to perform the appropriate analysis. It would be premature to speculate as to whether this analysis will lead to any design changes.”
The New York Times reported Boeing is reviewing whether two bundles of wiring are too close together, which could lead to a short circuit and potentially result in a crash if pilots did not respond appropriately.
The FAA said in a statement Sunday the agency and company “are analyzing certain findings from a recent review of the proposed modifications to the Boeing 737 MAX.” The agency added it will “ensure that all safety-related issues identified during this process are addressed.”
Boeing is currently working to design separating the wiring bundles if necessary and conducting extensive analysis to establish if the electrical fault could occur in a real-world scenario, a company official said.
Story continues below
Officials said the FAA had directed Boeing to complete an audit in December. The wiring issue could push back the return of the MAX, the officials added. Reuters has reported previously the FAA is not likely to approve the plane until at least February and might not until March or later.
The FAA flagged the wiring issue as potentially “catastrophic.” It is possible other protections like shielding, insulation and circuit breakers could prevent the short circuit, a company official said.
Boeing will halt production of the 737 MAX this month following the grounding in March of its best-selling plane after two fatal crashes in five months killed 346 people.
Last month, Boeing’s board fired Chief Executive Dennis Muilenburg after repeatedly failing to contain the fallout from the crashes that tarnished its reputation with airlines and regulators.
The crisis has cost Boeing $9 billion, and has hurt suppliers and airlines.
Boeing is struggling to mend relations with the U.S. and international regulators it needs to win over to get the jet back in the air.
Separately, U.S. and European regulators are expected to return to Iowa this week to review a software documentation audit of the 737 MAX that was not completed last year, officials said Sunday. FAA and the European Union Aviation Safety Agency are scheduled to meet in Seattle this week and then return to Rockwell Collins facility in Cedar Rapids, Iowa next weekend to review the audit.
http://torontosun.com/news/world/boeing-faa-reviewing-wiring-issue-on-grounded-737-max
Reuters
Published:
January 5, 2020
Updated:
January 5, 2020 4:13 PM EST
Aerial photos showing Boeing 737 Max airplanes parked at Boeing Field in Seattle, Washington, U.S. October 20, 2019. Gary He / REUTERS
WASHINGTON — Boeing Co and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) confirmed on Sunday they are reviewing a wiring issue that could potentially cause a short circuit on the grounded 737 MAX.
Boeing spokesman Gordon Johndroe said Sunday the U.S. planemaker “identified this issue as part of that rigorous process, and we are working with the FAA to perform the appropriate analysis. It would be premature to speculate as to whether this analysis will lead to any design changes.”
The New York Times reported Boeing is reviewing whether two bundles of wiring are too close together, which could lead to a short circuit and potentially result in a crash if pilots did not respond appropriately.
The FAA said in a statement Sunday the agency and company “are analyzing certain findings from a recent review of the proposed modifications to the Boeing 737 MAX.” The agency added it will “ensure that all safety-related issues identified during this process are addressed.”
Boeing is currently working to design separating the wiring bundles if necessary and conducting extensive analysis to establish if the electrical fault could occur in a real-world scenario, a company official said.
Story continues below
Officials said the FAA had directed Boeing to complete an audit in December. The wiring issue could push back the return of the MAX, the officials added. Reuters has reported previously the FAA is not likely to approve the plane until at least February and might not until March or later.
The FAA flagged the wiring issue as potentially “catastrophic.” It is possible other protections like shielding, insulation and circuit breakers could prevent the short circuit, a company official said.
Boeing will halt production of the 737 MAX this month following the grounding in March of its best-selling plane after two fatal crashes in five months killed 346 people.
Last month, Boeing’s board fired Chief Executive Dennis Muilenburg after repeatedly failing to contain the fallout from the crashes that tarnished its reputation with airlines and regulators.
The crisis has cost Boeing $9 billion, and has hurt suppliers and airlines.
Boeing is struggling to mend relations with the U.S. and international regulators it needs to win over to get the jet back in the air.
Separately, U.S. and European regulators are expected to return to Iowa this week to review a software documentation audit of the 737 MAX that was not completed last year, officials said Sunday. FAA and the European Union Aviation Safety Agency are scheduled to meet in Seattle this week and then return to Rockwell Collins facility in Cedar Rapids, Iowa next weekend to review the audit.
http://torontosun.com/news/world/boeing-faa-reviewing-wiring-issue-on-grounded-737-max
Leaked Emails PROVE Boeing KNEW The 737 MAX Was Dangerous, They Admit To Covering it Up
RedeemedOne
17 minutes ago
"Plane is literally uncontrollable upon computer malfunction." Minor details...
28 minutes ago
And where's the leftist outrage?
Where is it? “Orange man bad!!!!!!! REEE!!!!”
That’s where it is.
Boeing's ousted CEO departs with $62M, even without severance pay
Reuters
Published:
January 10, 2020
Updated:
January 10, 2020 8:45 PM EST
In this file photo taken on October 29, 2019 Boeing President and Chief Executive Officer Dennis Muilenburg testifies before the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation on Aviation Safety and the Future of Boeings 737 MAX in the Hart Senate Office Building on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC. MANDEL NGAN / AFP via Getty Images
Boeing Co’s ousted chief executive officer, Dennis Muilenburg, is leaving the company with $62 million in compensation and pension benefits but will receive no severance pay in the wake of the 737 MAX crisis.
Muilenburg was fired from the job in December as Boeing failed to contain the fallout from a pair of fatal crashes that halted output of the company’s bestselling 737 MAX jetliner and tarnished its reputation with airlines and regulators.
The compensation figures were disclosed in a regulatory filing late on Friday during a difficult week for Boeing when it also released hundreds of internal messages — two major issues hanging over the company before new CEO David Calhoun starts on Monday.
The messages contained harshly critical comments about the development of the 737 MAX, including one that said the plane was “designed by clowns who in turn are supervised by monkeys.”
Lawmakers blasted Boeing on Friday.
U.S. Representative Peter DeFazio, who chairs the House Transportation Committee, said minutes of a June 2013 meeting showed that Boeing sought to avoid expensive training and simulator requirements by misleading regulators about an anti-stall system called MCAS that was later tied to the two crashes that killed 346 people.
Story continues below
The MAX has been grounded since the second crash in March.
Speculation that Muilenburg would be fired had been circulating in the industry for months, intensifying in October when the board stripped him of his chairman’s title – although he had also twice won expressions of confidence from Calhoun, Boeing’s board chairman.
A turnaround veteran and former General Electric Co executive who has led several companies in crisis, Calhoun will receive a base salary at an annual rate of $1.4 million and is eligible for $26.5 million in long-term incentive compensation, Boeing said in a filing.
Boeing said in November Muilenburg had volunteered to give up his 2019 bonus and stock awards. For 2018, his bonus and equity awards amounted to some $20 million, according to filings.
In addition to the $62 million in compensation and pension benefits, Muilenburg holds stock options that vested in 2013, Boeing said. They would be worth $18.5 million at the closing price on Friday.
“Upon his departure, Dennis received the benefits to which he was contractually entitled and he did not receive any severance pay or a 2019 annual bonus,” Boeing said in a statement.
http://torontosun.com/news/world/boeings-ousted-ceo-departs-with-62m-even-without-severance-pay
Reuters
Published:
January 10, 2020
Updated:
January 10, 2020 8:45 PM EST
In this file photo taken on October 29, 2019 Boeing President and Chief Executive Officer Dennis Muilenburg testifies before the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation on Aviation Safety and the Future of Boeings 737 MAX in the Hart Senate Office Building on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC. MANDEL NGAN / AFP via Getty Images
Boeing Co’s ousted chief executive officer, Dennis Muilenburg, is leaving the company with $62 million in compensation and pension benefits but will receive no severance pay in the wake of the 737 MAX crisis.
Muilenburg was fired from the job in December as Boeing failed to contain the fallout from a pair of fatal crashes that halted output of the company’s bestselling 737 MAX jetliner and tarnished its reputation with airlines and regulators.
The compensation figures were disclosed in a regulatory filing late on Friday during a difficult week for Boeing when it also released hundreds of internal messages — two major issues hanging over the company before new CEO David Calhoun starts on Monday.
The messages contained harshly critical comments about the development of the 737 MAX, including one that said the plane was “designed by clowns who in turn are supervised by monkeys.”
Lawmakers blasted Boeing on Friday.
U.S. Representative Peter DeFazio, who chairs the House Transportation Committee, said minutes of a June 2013 meeting showed that Boeing sought to avoid expensive training and simulator requirements by misleading regulators about an anti-stall system called MCAS that was later tied to the two crashes that killed 346 people.
Story continues below
The MAX has been grounded since the second crash in March.
Speculation that Muilenburg would be fired had been circulating in the industry for months, intensifying in October when the board stripped him of his chairman’s title – although he had also twice won expressions of confidence from Calhoun, Boeing’s board chairman.
A turnaround veteran and former General Electric Co executive who has led several companies in crisis, Calhoun will receive a base salary at an annual rate of $1.4 million and is eligible for $26.5 million in long-term incentive compensation, Boeing said in a filing.
Boeing said in November Muilenburg had volunteered to give up his 2019 bonus and stock awards. For 2018, his bonus and equity awards amounted to some $20 million, according to filings.
In addition to the $62 million in compensation and pension benefits, Muilenburg holds stock options that vested in 2013, Boeing said. They would be worth $18.5 million at the closing price on Friday.
“Upon his departure, Dennis received the benefits to which he was contractually entitled and he did not receive any severance pay or a 2019 annual bonus,” Boeing said in a statement.
http://torontosun.com/news/world/boeings-ousted-ceo-departs-with-62m-even-without-severance-pay
Boeing addresses new 737 Max software issue that could keep plane grounded longer
Reuters
Published:
January 17, 2020
Updated:
January 17, 2020 8:45 PM EST
In this Dec. 16, 2019, file photo, an employee works near a Boeing 737 Max aircraft at Boeing's 737 Max production facility in Renton, Wash.Lindsey Wasson / REUTERS, File
WASHINGTON — Boeing Co said on Friday it is addressing a new software issue discovered in Iowa last weekend during a technical review of the proposed update to the grounded Boeing 737 Max, a development that could further delay the plane’s return to service.
“We are making necessary updates,” Boeing said in a statement. Officials at the planemaker said the issue relates to a software power-up monitoring function that verifies some system monitors are operating correctly.
One of the monitors was not being initiated correctly, officials said. The monitor check is prompted by a software command at airplane or system power up, and will set the appropriate indication if maintenance is required, company officials added.
Canada’s nuclear watchdog eyes lessons from Boeing 737 Max air crashes
Boeing's ousted CEO departs with $62M, even without severance pay
'DESIGNED BY CLOWNS': Boeing employees ridicule 737 Max, regulators in internal messages
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) did not immediately comment. ABC News reported the issue early Friday.
Boeing is halting production of the 737 Max this month following the grounding in March of its best-selling plane after two fatal crashes in five months killed 346 people.
Story continues below
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but your article continues below.
U.S. regulators are waiting for an update from Boeing on how they will resolve the issue. A U.S. official briefed on the matter said Friday the FAA is now unlikely to approve the plane’s return until March but it could take until April.
This week, American Airlines Group Inc and Southwest Airlines Co both said they would extend cancellations of Max flights until early June.
Also this month, the FAA and Boeing said they were reviewing a wiring issue that could potentially cause a short circuit on the grounded 737 Max. Officials said the review is looking at whether two bundles of wiring are too close together, which could lead to a short circuit and potentially result in a crash if pilots did not respond appropriately.
U.S. and European aviation safety regulators met with Boeing in an effort to complete a 737 Max software documentation audit that was begun in November. Documentation requirements are central to certification for increasingly complex aircraft software, and can become a source of delays.
http://torontosun.com/business/mone...e-issue-that-could-keep-plane-grounded-longer
Reuters
Published:
January 17, 2020
Updated:
January 17, 2020 8:45 PM EST
In this Dec. 16, 2019, file photo, an employee works near a Boeing 737 Max aircraft at Boeing's 737 Max production facility in Renton, Wash.Lindsey Wasson / REUTERS, File
WASHINGTON — Boeing Co said on Friday it is addressing a new software issue discovered in Iowa last weekend during a technical review of the proposed update to the grounded Boeing 737 Max, a development that could further delay the plane’s return to service.
“We are making necessary updates,” Boeing said in a statement. Officials at the planemaker said the issue relates to a software power-up monitoring function that verifies some system monitors are operating correctly.
One of the monitors was not being initiated correctly, officials said. The monitor check is prompted by a software command at airplane or system power up, and will set the appropriate indication if maintenance is required, company officials added.
Canada’s nuclear watchdog eyes lessons from Boeing 737 Max air crashes
Boeing's ousted CEO departs with $62M, even without severance pay
'DESIGNED BY CLOWNS': Boeing employees ridicule 737 Max, regulators in internal messages
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) did not immediately comment. ABC News reported the issue early Friday.
Boeing is halting production of the 737 Max this month following the grounding in March of its best-selling plane after two fatal crashes in five months killed 346 people.
Story continues below
This advertisement has not loaded yet,
but your article continues below.
U.S. regulators are waiting for an update from Boeing on how they will resolve the issue. A U.S. official briefed on the matter said Friday the FAA is now unlikely to approve the plane’s return until March but it could take until April.
This week, American Airlines Group Inc and Southwest Airlines Co both said they would extend cancellations of Max flights until early June.
Also this month, the FAA and Boeing said they were reviewing a wiring issue that could potentially cause a short circuit on the grounded 737 Max. Officials said the review is looking at whether two bundles of wiring are too close together, which could lead to a short circuit and potentially result in a crash if pilots did not respond appropriately.
U.S. and European aviation safety regulators met with Boeing in an effort to complete a 737 Max software documentation audit that was begun in November. Documentation requirements are central to certification for increasingly complex aircraft software, and can become a source of delays.
http://torontosun.com/business/mone...e-issue-that-could-keep-plane-grounded-longer
Boeing May Not Restart 737 MAX Production Till Year-End After Pushing Back Plane’s Expected Return.
........................
The thousands of workers who produce the 737 MAX put down their tools Monday as production halted at Boeing’s factory in Renton, Washington. It could well remain shut down through September, analysts say, and perhaps through the end of the year, following the company’s announcement that it doesn’t expect to receive approval from the FAA for its bestselling plane to return to service till the summer.
That promises to pile more stress on the most vulnerable of Boeing’s suppliers. For airlines, the delay in return to service means they likely will be without 737 MAX planes during the peak summer travel season.
Boeing said Tuesday in a statement that it was informing customers and suppliers that “we are currently estimating that the ungrounding of the 737 MAX will begin during mid-2020.” It said that estimate was based on the scrutiny regulators are applying to the 737 MAX's revised flight control system and the evaluation process to determine pilot training requirements following two crashes that killed 346 people.
The announcement came as a surprise to an industry that had generally expected that return to service could come in March or April.
more
https://www.forbes.com/sites/jeremy...s-expectations-on-planes-return/#aa8228e3c8af
........................
The thousands of workers who produce the 737 MAX put down their tools Monday as production halted at Boeing’s factory in Renton, Washington. It could well remain shut down through September, analysts say, and perhaps through the end of the year, following the company’s announcement that it doesn’t expect to receive approval from the FAA for its bestselling plane to return to service till the summer.
That promises to pile more stress on the most vulnerable of Boeing’s suppliers. For airlines, the delay in return to service means they likely will be without 737 MAX planes during the peak summer travel season.
Boeing said Tuesday in a statement that it was informing customers and suppliers that “we are currently estimating that the ungrounding of the 737 MAX will begin during mid-2020.” It said that estimate was based on the scrutiny regulators are applying to the 737 MAX's revised flight control system and the evaluation process to determine pilot training requirements following two crashes that killed 346 people.
The announcement came as a surprise to an industry that had generally expected that return to service could come in March or April.
more
https://www.forbes.com/sites/jeremy...s-expectations-on-planes-return/#aa8228e3c8af
They look like bratwursts on the barbie in the photo.
A bit green, I admit.
https://www.cbc.ca/news/business/boeing-will-not-scrap-737-max-1.5436552
Maybe that's the new name
737 Barbie!
A bit green, I admit.
https://www.cbc.ca/news/business/boeing-will-not-scrap-737-max-1.5436552
Maybe that's the new name
737 Barbie!
New 737 MAX problems again.
I really like DJs Aviation, he started it when he was 15.
Worth subscribing too.
Worth subscribing too.
Its Huawai Time!!!!!
……………………………
400 people to be laid off at Boeing in Winnipeg in coming weeks
Cuts make up about one-quarter of the aerospace company's workforce in Winnipeg.
Boeing will lay off around 400 employees in Winnipeg over the next few weeks because of the COVID-19 pandemic, a spokesperson for the aerospace company says.
Employees at the company were told about the cuts on Friday, spokesperson Jessica Kowal said in a statement emailed to CBC News.
"Due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, Boeing previously announced we would adjust the size of our company to reflect new market realities through a combination of voluntary layoffs, natural turnover and involuntary layoffs," the statement said.
Kowal said the brunt of the cuts at Boeing are being made "in areas most exposed to the commercial aviation market as well as our corporate functions." She said Boeing's Winnipeg site mainly produces components for the company's commercial planes.
The cuts make up about one-quarter of the aerospace company's workforce in Winnipeg. According to Boeing's website, the company has around 1,600 employees in the city.
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/boeing-layoffs-winnipeg-covid-19-1.5582503
Great comments !
……………………………
400 people to be laid off at Boeing in Winnipeg in coming weeks
Cuts make up about one-quarter of the aerospace company's workforce in Winnipeg.
Boeing will lay off around 400 employees in Winnipeg over the next few weeks because of the COVID-19 pandemic, a spokesperson for the aerospace company says.
Employees at the company were told about the cuts on Friday, spokesperson Jessica Kowal said in a statement emailed to CBC News.
"Due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, Boeing previously announced we would adjust the size of our company to reflect new market realities through a combination of voluntary layoffs, natural turnover and involuntary layoffs," the statement said.
Kowal said the brunt of the cuts at Boeing are being made "in areas most exposed to the commercial aviation market as well as our corporate functions." She said Boeing's Winnipeg site mainly produces components for the company's commercial planes.
The cuts make up about one-quarter of the aerospace company's workforce in Winnipeg. According to Boeing's website, the company has around 1,600 employees in the city.
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/boeing-layoffs-winnipeg-covid-19-1.5582503
Great comments !
Sweeping Failures and Insufficient Oversight Led to Boeing 737 Max Crashes, Scathing House Report Finds
time.com/5889376/boeing-737-max-house-report/Sweeping failures by Boeing engineers, deception by the company and significant errors in government oversight led to the two fatal crashes of the 737 Max, congressional investigators have concluded.
A 245-page report issued Wednesday provides the most scathing account so far of the miscalculations that led to 346 deaths, the grounding of Boeing’s best-selling jet and billions of dollars in losses for the manufacturing giant.
“The Max crashes were not the result of a singular failure, technical mistake or mismanaged event,” the report by the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee said. “They were the horrific culmination of a series of faulty technical assumptions by Boeing’s engineers, a lack of transparency on the part of Boeing’s management and grossly insufficient oversight by the” Federal Aviation Administration.
The report — the result of five investigative hearings, a review of about 600,000 pages of documents, interviews with top Boeing and FAA officials and information provided by whistle-blowers — makes the case for broad changes in the FAA’s oversight of the aircraft industry.
It offers a more searing version of events than the sometimes technical language in previous crash reports and investigations, including one conducted by the Transportation Department’s Inspector General.
The conclusions were drawn by the majority staff under committee Chairman Peter DeFazio. The report cites five main reasons for the crashes:
“The problem is it was complaint and not safe — and people died,” he said. “Obviously, the system is inadequate.”
Lawmakers are drafting legislation designed to reform how the FAA oversees companies such as Boeing and reviews aircraft designs.
The Senate Commerce Committee plans to vote on a bipartisan bill on Wednesday. DeFazio, an Oregon Democrat, hasn’t yet unveiled his legislation.
Republican leaders on the House committee took issue with the report’s findings, saying they represented partisan overreach that went beyond what other reviews have found.
“Expert recommendations have already led to changes and reforms, with more to come,” said a joint statement from Sam Graves of Missouri and Garret Graves of Louisiana. “These recommendations — not a partisan investigative report — should serve as the basis for Congressional action.”
Boeing said in a statement it had cooperated with the committee’s investigation and had taken steps at the company to improve safety.
“We have learned many hard lessons as a company from the accidents of Lion Air Flight 610 and Ethiopian Flight 302, and from the mistakes we have made,” the company said. “Change is always hard and requires daily commitment, but we as a company are dedicated to doing the work.”
The FAA said in a statement late Tuesday night that it was committed to working with the committee to make improvements. “We are already undertaking important initiatives based on what we have learned from our own internal reviews as well as independent reviews of the Lion Air and Ethiopian Airlines accidents,” the agency said in the statement.
But tensions between the committee staff and the FAA were clearly evident. Ali Bahrami, who oversees safety at the agency, came under repeated criticism in the report for what the committee called his lack of awareness of issues surrounding the Max and the accidents. The committee staffers declined to provide him with questions before the Dec. 5 interview, which made it difficult for him to recall documents and events, an FAA counsel warned at the start of the interview, according to a transcript.
While DeFazio and other lawmakers haven’t called for a permanent grounding of the jet, the father of a woman who died in the Ethiopia crash said the report raised questions about the plane’s return to service.
“The FAA should immediately halt the recertification process for the 737 Max in light of this report,” said Michael Stumo, father of Samya Stumo. He accused Boeing and the FAA of withholding information from the families of victims in an emailed statement.
The 737 Max was grounded March 13, 2019, three days after the second crash involving a safety feature on the plane that malfunctioned and repeatedly sent the planes into a dive toward the ground.
Boeing and regulators had approved the design under the assumption that flight crews could recognize and override a malfunction of the system within a few seconds. Even though the system could have been disabled by flipping two cockpit switches, pilots on a Lion Air flight departing from Jakarta on Oct. 29, 2018, and an Ethiopian Airlines plane leaving Addis Ababa on March 10, 2019, became confused, lost control and crashed.
The feature, known as Maneuvering Characteristics Augmentation System, was designed to make the Max feel exactly the same to pilots as the earlier family of 737s known as the Next Generation. However, the system was triggered erroneously by a single sensor that failed in both crashes and it continued to push the nose down repeatedly.
The FAA has tentatively approved multiple design changes to prevent such an accident in the future and the plane could be certified to resume operations in the fall.
The House report identifies numerous instances in which it alleges the company should have known that MCAS was potentially dangerous.
For example, a Boeing test pilot during the early development of the plane in 2012 took more than 10 seconds to respond to an erroneous MCAS activation, a condition the pilot concluded could be “catastrophic,” the report said.
“The reaction time was long,” one Boeing employee told another in an email on Nov. 1, 2012, which was viewed by Bloomberg. The unidentified employee asked whether the rating of the system’s risks should be raised, which may have prompted a more thorough safety review.
Those concerns “were not properly addressed” and the company “did not inform the FAA,” the report said.
Boeing ultimately concluded that flight crews would react far swifter to an MCAS failure, typically within four seconds.
The report also said the responses by Boeing and the FAA to the first accident — warnings to pilots issued in early November 2018 — weren’t adequate to prevent a second crash.
“Both Boeing and the FAA gambled with the public’s safety in the aftermath of the Lion Air crash, resulting in the death of 157 more individuals on Ethiopian Airlines flight 302, less than five months later,” the report said.
The guidance on how to avoid an accident during an MCAS failure detailed the symptoms pilots would see and reminded crews how to shut it off. The committee criticized Boeing and the FAA for not mentioning the system’s name.
FAA officials have said they debated whether to include MCAS in the directive, but opted not to because it wasn’t mentioned in pilot flight manuals. Boeing within days sent additional guidance to airlines on MCAS and how it worked. Details on MCAS were also widely reported in the news media and internal airline documents obtained by Bloomberg show that it had been explained to Ethiopian Airlines pilots before their crash.
‘Undue Pressure’
A key finding involves a long-standing practice — which was expanded by Congress several times — to deputize Boeing employees to act in behalf of FAA while reviewing aircraft designs.
According to a 2016 survey obtained by the committee, 39% of Boeing’s Authorized Representatives, senior engineers who conducted reviews for FAA, at times perceived “undue pressure” on them from management.
One such senior engineer knew that Boeing was delivering Maxes to customers without a required alert in 2017 and 2018, yet didn’t notify FAA, the report said. The lack of such an alert was cited by Indonesian investigators as a factor in the Lion Air crash.
Both House and Senate legislation is expected to seek reforms of the so-called delegation system, which the report said is riddled with “inherent conflicts of interest.”
Boeing opted almost a decade ago to update the 737 to compete against a similar redesign of the Airbus SE A320 family. It faced intense pressure to ensure that — just as Airbus promised — pilots transferring from earlier 737 models didn’t need expensive additional simulator training.
Simulator Training
The company had agreed to pay Southwest Airlines Co. $1 million per aircraft if Max pilots had to train in the simulator before transitioning to the new plane, which could have cost it between $200 million to $400 million.
The push to avoid simulator training led to multiple poor decisions by Boeing, the committee alleged. The manufacturer rejected adding a sophisticated safety system that might have helped in the accidents at least in part because it would have required additional training.
The company also deemphasized MCAS to the FAA as a result. In a 2013 company document, Boeing said it would describe MCAS to the FAA as an add-on to an existing system. “If we emphasize MCAS is a new function there may be a greater certification and training impact,” the memo said.
The broad failure to fully explain MCAS was a critical issue because the system was made more powerful midway through its development, but many within the FAA didn’t know and the agency delegated the final safety approvals to the company, the report found.
“The combination of these problems doomed the Lion Air and Ethiopian Airlines flights,” the report said.
A 245-page report issued Wednesday provides the most scathing account so far of the miscalculations that led to 346 deaths, the grounding of Boeing’s best-selling jet and billions of dollars in losses for the manufacturing giant.
“The Max crashes were not the result of a singular failure, technical mistake or mismanaged event,” the report by the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee said. “They were the horrific culmination of a series of faulty technical assumptions by Boeing’s engineers, a lack of transparency on the part of Boeing’s management and grossly insufficient oversight by the” Federal Aviation Administration.
The report — the result of five investigative hearings, a review of about 600,000 pages of documents, interviews with top Boeing and FAA officials and information provided by whistle-blowers — makes the case for broad changes in the FAA’s oversight of the aircraft industry.
It offers a more searing version of events than the sometimes technical language in previous crash reports and investigations, including one conducted by the Transportation Department’s Inspector General.
The conclusions were drawn by the majority staff under committee Chairman Peter DeFazio. The report cites five main reasons for the crashes:
- Pressures to update the 737’s design swiftly and inexpensively
- Faulty assumptions about the design and performance of pilots
- What the report called a “culture of concealment” by Boeing
- Inherent conflicts of interest in the system that deputizes Boeing employees to act on behalf of the government
- The company’s sway over top FAA managers
“The problem is it was complaint and not safe — and people died,” he said. “Obviously, the system is inadequate.”
Lawmakers are drafting legislation designed to reform how the FAA oversees companies such as Boeing and reviews aircraft designs.
The Senate Commerce Committee plans to vote on a bipartisan bill on Wednesday. DeFazio, an Oregon Democrat, hasn’t yet unveiled his legislation.
Republican leaders on the House committee took issue with the report’s findings, saying they represented partisan overreach that went beyond what other reviews have found.
“Expert recommendations have already led to changes and reforms, with more to come,” said a joint statement from Sam Graves of Missouri and Garret Graves of Louisiana. “These recommendations — not a partisan investigative report — should serve as the basis for Congressional action.”
Boeing said in a statement it had cooperated with the committee’s investigation and had taken steps at the company to improve safety.
“We have learned many hard lessons as a company from the accidents of Lion Air Flight 610 and Ethiopian Flight 302, and from the mistakes we have made,” the company said. “Change is always hard and requires daily commitment, but we as a company are dedicated to doing the work.”
The FAA said in a statement late Tuesday night that it was committed to working with the committee to make improvements. “We are already undertaking important initiatives based on what we have learned from our own internal reviews as well as independent reviews of the Lion Air and Ethiopian Airlines accidents,” the agency said in the statement.
But tensions between the committee staff and the FAA were clearly evident. Ali Bahrami, who oversees safety at the agency, came under repeated criticism in the report for what the committee called his lack of awareness of issues surrounding the Max and the accidents. The committee staffers declined to provide him with questions before the Dec. 5 interview, which made it difficult for him to recall documents and events, an FAA counsel warned at the start of the interview, according to a transcript.
While DeFazio and other lawmakers haven’t called for a permanent grounding of the jet, the father of a woman who died in the Ethiopia crash said the report raised questions about the plane’s return to service.
“The FAA should immediately halt the recertification process for the 737 Max in light of this report,” said Michael Stumo, father of Samya Stumo. He accused Boeing and the FAA of withholding information from the families of victims in an emailed statement.
The 737 Max was grounded March 13, 2019, three days after the second crash involving a safety feature on the plane that malfunctioned and repeatedly sent the planes into a dive toward the ground.
Boeing and regulators had approved the design under the assumption that flight crews could recognize and override a malfunction of the system within a few seconds. Even though the system could have been disabled by flipping two cockpit switches, pilots on a Lion Air flight departing from Jakarta on Oct. 29, 2018, and an Ethiopian Airlines plane leaving Addis Ababa on March 10, 2019, became confused, lost control and crashed.
The feature, known as Maneuvering Characteristics Augmentation System, was designed to make the Max feel exactly the same to pilots as the earlier family of 737s known as the Next Generation. However, the system was triggered erroneously by a single sensor that failed in both crashes and it continued to push the nose down repeatedly.
The FAA has tentatively approved multiple design changes to prevent such an accident in the future and the plane could be certified to resume operations in the fall.
The House report identifies numerous instances in which it alleges the company should have known that MCAS was potentially dangerous.
For example, a Boeing test pilot during the early development of the plane in 2012 took more than 10 seconds to respond to an erroneous MCAS activation, a condition the pilot concluded could be “catastrophic,” the report said.
“The reaction time was long,” one Boeing employee told another in an email on Nov. 1, 2012, which was viewed by Bloomberg. The unidentified employee asked whether the rating of the system’s risks should be raised, which may have prompted a more thorough safety review.
Those concerns “were not properly addressed” and the company “did not inform the FAA,” the report said.
Boeing ultimately concluded that flight crews would react far swifter to an MCAS failure, typically within four seconds.
The report also said the responses by Boeing and the FAA to the first accident — warnings to pilots issued in early November 2018 — weren’t adequate to prevent a second crash.
“Both Boeing and the FAA gambled with the public’s safety in the aftermath of the Lion Air crash, resulting in the death of 157 more individuals on Ethiopian Airlines flight 302, less than five months later,” the report said.
The guidance on how to avoid an accident during an MCAS failure detailed the symptoms pilots would see and reminded crews how to shut it off. The committee criticized Boeing and the FAA for not mentioning the system’s name.
FAA officials have said they debated whether to include MCAS in the directive, but opted not to because it wasn’t mentioned in pilot flight manuals. Boeing within days sent additional guidance to airlines on MCAS and how it worked. Details on MCAS were also widely reported in the news media and internal airline documents obtained by Bloomberg show that it had been explained to Ethiopian Airlines pilots before their crash.
‘Undue Pressure’
A key finding involves a long-standing practice — which was expanded by Congress several times — to deputize Boeing employees to act in behalf of FAA while reviewing aircraft designs.
According to a 2016 survey obtained by the committee, 39% of Boeing’s Authorized Representatives, senior engineers who conducted reviews for FAA, at times perceived “undue pressure” on them from management.
One such senior engineer knew that Boeing was delivering Maxes to customers without a required alert in 2017 and 2018, yet didn’t notify FAA, the report said. The lack of such an alert was cited by Indonesian investigators as a factor in the Lion Air crash.
Both House and Senate legislation is expected to seek reforms of the so-called delegation system, which the report said is riddled with “inherent conflicts of interest.”
Boeing opted almost a decade ago to update the 737 to compete against a similar redesign of the Airbus SE A320 family. It faced intense pressure to ensure that — just as Airbus promised — pilots transferring from earlier 737 models didn’t need expensive additional simulator training.
Simulator Training
The company had agreed to pay Southwest Airlines Co. $1 million per aircraft if Max pilots had to train in the simulator before transitioning to the new plane, which could have cost it between $200 million to $400 million.
The push to avoid simulator training led to multiple poor decisions by Boeing, the committee alleged. The manufacturer rejected adding a sophisticated safety system that might have helped in the accidents at least in part because it would have required additional training.
The company also deemphasized MCAS to the FAA as a result. In a 2013 company document, Boeing said it would describe MCAS to the FAA as an add-on to an existing system. “If we emphasize MCAS is a new function there may be a greater certification and training impact,” the memo said.
The broad failure to fully explain MCAS was a critical issue because the system was made more powerful midway through its development, but many within the FAA didn’t know and the agency delegated the final safety approvals to the company, the report found.
“The combination of these problems doomed the Lion Air and Ethiopian Airlines flights,” the report said.
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