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Given the current situation after the unfortunate crash of Ethiopian Airlines flight ET302 and its apparent connection to the Lion Air incident 610 Some months ago, It is relevant to report on the particularities of the most modern Boeing aircraft with respect to its predecessors and especially the controversial MCAS system of the Boeing 737 MAX.
post writer by: Juan Matheus
The 737 It is Boeing's “workhorse”, It is the best-selling aircraft in history and has been in production for around 40 years. It is a very versatile aircraft in the segment of 120-200 passengers and its range has improved more and more as well as its capacity and the avionics in general.
Its most recent version, the so-called MAX, was Boeing's response to its competitor's update, the Airbus to the A320NEO. Both updates to the program have allowed a single-aisle, twin-engine aircraft to fly transatlantic and have opened up many new route possibilities that were not possible before and the market did not allow for operating larger aircraft.. Both the 737MAX and Airbus A320/321 NEO programs focused on improving powertrain and lowering fuel consumption., also increasing the range. In the case of the Airbus NEO it means “New Engine Option”, that is to say "new engine option".
Being a “minor” update to a successful and proven model, Boeing managed to rack up an impressive order book, with thousands of MAXs to be produced and delivered (more of 5.000). Es, definitely, a successful program. One of the main points to convince the airlines was that the MAX was an easy transition for the pilots of the 737NG that it was intended to replace.. It has been reported that the introductory course to the MAX lasted one hour and the flight manual did not include information on changes to the software., among those, the MCAS.
MCAS
EL Boeing 737 MAX in their versions -8 and -9, Carries the new CFM LEAP-1B turbofan engine. This engine is not only 15% more efficient, it is also considerably larger. This forced it to be placed later than in the NG, causing an unwanted side effect: The MAX tended to raise the nose too high, product of the largest engine located furthest forward.
as already we have previously discussed, an airplane has a maximum angle of attack (called critical) in which the air passing through the wing profile “separates” and creates turbulence and loss of lift. Whether the MAX could easily and unintentionally reach critical angles of attack when taking off, We had to find a way to correct the problem..
Then, Boeing decided to introduce a software called MCAS or “Maneuvering Characteristics Augmentation System”. The goal of the software was to use the readings from the angle of attack sensor and “correct” the aircraft's pitch if it approached the critical angle of attack.. This was done by using the stabilizers that are located on the sides of the rudder., at the rear. If the nose went up too high, the stabilizer was going down, carrying out what is called “trimming”. Reports from pilots suggest that Boeing ignored MCAS in pilot training and it has been learned that they felt it was “flooding crews with unnecessary information.”.
Is MCAS responsible for the Indonesia and Ethiopia accidents??
We still cannot say it categorically, but it seems that both incidents are related.. Data from the black boxes suggests that the pilots struggled to stabilize the ship and the computer insisted on "driving the nose down.". Although every airplane today has an angle of attack sensor, and apparently the design of the two sensors in the MAX does not vary from the previous version, it would appear that MCAS software under special circumstances must be replicated, misinterprets the AoA sensor reading (Attack angle) and does not allow the pilot to disengage the autopilot and do a “manual override”.
In the cabin there is a control to deactivate MCAS but in the case of Lion Air it seems that the crew was not aware that the system existed and that it could be manually deactivated. After that accident, Boeing issued a bulletin reinforcing training on this function..
Didn't the ET302 crew do retraining??
The CEO of Ethiopian Airlines has said that after that accident, their pilots if they were instructed on MCAS and how to turn it off. What's more, before this new accident, Boeing was already working on a software update. This does not allow us to conclude for now that MCAS was responsible, although the erratic behavior of the Ethiopian plane shows many similarities with the Lion Air flight, and the stabilizers were found pointing downwards.
Although we cannot draw definitive conclusions yet, the order to leave all the MAX on the ground was a wise move. Many analysts and pilots believe that the problem is that these planes are too "computerized", limiting the work of the pilots and in this case, even preventing it.
Engineering often has to be subordinated to economic factors and apparently Boeing preferred to use an extremely and unnecessarily complex solution for not sitting on the drawing board and redesigning the fuselage and wing of the aircraft. 737 to properly accommodate the CFM LEAP-1B and not harm aerodynamics. This was going to take longer and possibly, would cost the manufacturer and airlines more, but it seems that it would have been a more sensible step.
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very well clarified but they are still on the ground with a huge loss it is strange they do not have the solution to such an expensive problem
There are versions that in JANUARY would be on the air again, it will be ????
are versions, but some airlines have already postponed their reservations even beyond March.
It seems to me that this plane will not fly anymore, must be redesigned, we are talking about a structural failure, that wants to be corrected with a software, it is too risky and unsafe, Due to the time that has elapsed, the update should have come out, but nothing! remember the concord, It stopped being safe and didn't fly anymore, I think this one will have the same fate!
sure will fly, what would you do with them 300+ aircraft built or under construction?
Just a clarification on how MCAS works. The system only operates when the autopilot is disengaged.. Apparently a failure of an AOA sensor caused the AP to disconnect and was interpreted by MCAS as an approximation of a stall.. As the MCAS works by moving the stabilizer, the procedure to stop it is the same as a Trim Runaway., trim against and turn off the trim motor. On the flight before the Lion Air accident, it failed and they had to turn it off. Because the Lion crews did not know about this incident and how to control it is a mystery, just like the pilots of the Ethiopian plane.. Boeing, by not explaining the system well and emphasizing it in the manuals, has committed carelessness that borders on crime.
excellent comment, Thank you.
please I wish, to publish the names of the 8 American people, who died, on the flight from ethiopia. Thanks.
Insurance is available on the airline's website in communications about the accident.
I agree with this article, they should redesign the plane with these new engines and not automate the plane's controls too much
Thanks for commenting and sharing..
Very well explained!
Thanks for comment!