Boeing Kept Pilots in the Dark About Hazards of 737 Model's Feature - Reports
"An investigation is still underway into the malfunctioning of the Lion Air jet, which crashed into the sea off the Indonesian coast in late October, killing all 189 people on board.
According to a fresh report in The Wall Street Journal, Boeing appeared to have withheld information about suspected malfunctions with a new flight-control feature, which are believed to have played a role in the deadly Indonesian Lion Air jet crash. The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) officials and safety experts leading the investigation into the crash told the WSJ that the automatic stall-prevention feature introduced recently to Boeing models, including the 737 MAX 8 and MAX 9, may abruptly thrust a plane into a steep dive despite pilots’ efforts to continue flying it.
Investigating experts are still looking into the matter, trying to find out whether this was the case in last month’s accident, when the Lion Air flight en route from Jakarta dove into the Java Sea on October 29.
Boeing reportedly warned airlines about the newly introduced feature and risks it hypothetically carries in a safety bulletin issued days after the tragedy, which points to the fact that pilots couldn't have been aware of the new computer mechanism and risks connected with flight control at the moment of the crash, shortly before and even immediately after it.
“It’s pretty asinine for them to put a system on an airplane and not tell the pilots who are operating the airplane, especially when it deals with flight controls,” the WSJ cited one of the officials, Captain Mike Michaelis, chairman of the Safety Committee for the Allied Pilots Association, as saying. Boeing hasn’t yet officially commented on the reports.
In a parallel move, the newspaper quoted an unnamed high-profile Boeing representative as saying that the company had decided to leave out some details about the new models of aircraft so as to not feed pilots with excessive information. Meanwhile, the airline is conducting a probe into the accident, which left a staggering 189 people dead late last month, stressing that it is “taking every measure” to understand the root cause of it."
https://sputniknews.com/asia/2018111...re-steep-dive/
PRESS DIGEST - Wall Street Journal - Nov 13
Boeing Co. (NYSE: BA) had information about problems with the 737 like the one which crashed in Indonesia. According to The Wall Street Journal:
Boeing Co. withheld information about potential hazards associated with a new flight-control feature suspected of playing a role in last month’s fatal Lion Air jet crash, according to safety experts involved in the investigation, as well as midlevel FAA officials and airline pilots.
The automated stall-prevention system on Boeing 737 MAX 8 and MAX 9 models—intended to help cockpit crews avoid mistakenly raising a plane’s nose dangerously high—under unusual conditions can push it down unexpectedly and so strongly that flight crews can’t pull it back up. Such a scenario, Boeing told airlines in a world-wide safety bulletin roughly a week after the accident, can result in a steep dive or crash—even if pilots are manually flying the jetliner and don’t expect flight-control computers to kick in."
https://www.reuters.com/article/pres...-idUSL4N1XO2KX
Boeing Withheld Information on 737 Model, According to Safety Experts and Others
"withheld information about potential hazards associated with a new flight-control feature suspected of playing a role in last month’s fatal Lion Air jet crash, according to safety experts involved in the investigation, as well as midlevel FAA officials and airline pilots. The automated stall-prevention system on Boeing 737 MAX 8 and MAX 9 models—intended to help cockpit crews avoid mistakenly raising a plane’s nose dangerously high—under unusual conditions can push it down unexpectedly and so strongly that flight crews can’t pull it back up. Such a scenario, Boeing told airlines in a world-wide safety bulletin roughly a week after the accident, can result in a steep dive or crash—even if pilots are manually flying the jetliner and don’t expect flight-control computers to kick in.
That warning came as a surprise to many pilots who fly the latest models for U.S carriers. Safety experts involved in and tracking the investigation said that at U.S. carriers, neither airline managers nor pilots had been told such a system had been added to the latest 737 variant—and therefore aviators typically weren’t prepared to cope with the possible risks.
“It’s pretty asinine for them to put a system on an airplane and not tell the pilots who are operating the airplane, especially when it deals with flight controls,” said Capt. Mike Michaelis, chairman of the safety committee for the Allied Pilots Association, which represents about 15,000pilots. “Why weren’t they trained on it?”
One Federal Aviation Administration manager familiar with the details said the new flight-control systems weren’t highlighted in any training materials or during lengthy discussions between carriers and regulators about phasing in the latest 737 derivatives.
Boeing declined to immediately answer specific questions Monday. “We are taking every measure to fully understand all aspects of this incident, working closely with the investigating team and all regulatory authorities involved,” the company said in a statement. “We are confident in the safety of the 737 MAX.”
On Monday, an FAA statement reiterated that the agency had mandated flight manual changes to emphasize proper pilot responses to the new flight-control systems. “The FAA will take further action if findings from the accident investigation warrant,” the statement noted, but declined to comment further.
Boeing marketed the MAX 8 partly by telling customers it wouldn’t need pilots to undergo additional simulator training beyond that already required for older versions, according to industry and government officials. One high-ranking Boeing official said the company had decided against disclosing more details to cockpit crews due to concerns about inundating average pilots with too much information—and significantly more technical data—than they needed or could digest"
https://atlantareports.com/2018/11/1...ts-and-others/
If true, Boeing have some problems. If true, the regulators have some problems.
Boeing introduce a new plane but don't tell the pilots of a new "feature" which may take control and have caused the deaths of hundreds of innocent passengers. Boeing informs the airelines will not have to spend time and money in training their pilots and can get them into service quicker.
The FAA and other regulators, have listened to Boeing and deemed the plane safe with no extra training and continue to allow them into the air.
When will the worlds airline regulators pull the plug?
Or shall we take 'arrys view and just accept it has always been like this or in some way it is a "diversion" from 'arrys viewpoint on the plane crash.