The Boeing 737 Max problem that caused deadly crashes triggered multiple loud alarms that might have confused the pilots, the NTSB found.
Boeing Co.’s evaluation of the 737 Max system during development used an oversimplified test that didn’t anticipate the cacophony of alarms and alerts that actually occurred during a pair of deadly crashes, U.S. investigators concluded.
The way Boeing designed its flight tests was permitted under existing rules. But the NTSB concluded that those standards, dating back to 1988, weren’t adequate. The agency called on the FAA to require more realistic assessments of complex emergencies during certification testing. Schulze said that should be done before the Max flies again.
“However, we are concerned that the process used to evaluate the original design needs improvement because that process is still in use to certify current and future aircraft and system designs,” the safety board said. Both the Lion Air crash Oct. 29 and the Ethiopian Airlines crash March 10 occurred after a malfunction prompted a safety feature known as the Maneuvering Characteristics Augmentation System to begin automatically and repeatedly pushing the planes into dives.Although news reports since the crashes have contained some information on Boeing’s flight tests and safety assumptions about MCAS, the NTSB report is the first official account of how it was certified.
At least part of the reason for those miscues is that the underlying failure — faulty sensors that measure the angle of a plane’s nose relative to the oncoming air — triggered multiple loud alarms that were potentially confusing, the NTSB found. Boeing hasn’t yet responded to the NTSB’s recommendations, but the initial indications are that the company is receptive, Schulze said. A special review by Boeing’s board of directors Wednesday said the company should work with airlines to “reexamine assumptions around flight-deck design and operation,” particularly given shifts in demographics and “future pilot populations.
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