Simulators: the pilots only had 40 seconds to solve the problem that the Boeing 737 MAX would have encountered

NEW YORK.- During flight simulations that recreate the problems of
the Lion Air aircraft, the pilots discovered that they had less than 40 seconds to cancel an automated system in the company's new aircraft.

Boeing

737 MAX and avoid disaster.

The pilots revealed a crisis situation similar to what investigators suspect is the Lion Air plane, which fell last October in Indonesia, during which 189 people died. During testing, only one sensor failed, which triggered the activation of software designed to prevent the aircraft from losing the elevator.

Once that happened, the pilots had only a few seconds to disconnect the system and prevent the Boeing 737 MAX from falling, according to two people involved in the tests in recent days. Although investigations are continuing, the automated system, called MCAS, is drawing the attention of authorities trying to determine what is wrong with the Lion Air disaster in October and April.
the Ethiopian Airlines plane crash of the same Boeing model on March 10.

The software as designed left little room for error. The people involved in the tests had not yet fully understood the power of the system before piloting the aircraft in a 737 MAX simulator, according to both sources.

According to a tacit acknowledgment of system problems, Boeing is expected to offer a software update that gives pilots more control over the system and is less likely to be triggered in error, according to three people, who spoke on condition of anonymity

Common procedures are in place to counter the MCAS as it is currently designed. If the system begins to lower the nose of the aircraft, pilots can reverse the movement using thumb switches, a typical reaction in this situation.

To completely disable the system, the drivers should activate two more switches. This would cut off the power of an engine that would allow the system to push the plane to the ground. Then, pilots should spin a wheel to correct any problem.

During the Lion Air accident, pilots used the thumbswitch more than two dozen times to try and bypbad the system. However, the system continued to interact, probably due to poor sensor readings, until the aircraft crashes into the Java Sea, killing 189 people aboard.

The New York Times