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The pilot and co-pilot of the 737 MAX 8 were more than experienced, with approximately 11,000 flying hours between them.
Weather conditions were not a problem and the flight was routine.
So, what caused the plane crashed into the Java Sea 13 minutes after takeoff?
More than two weeks after the disaster, the investigators are still gathering the clues.
A lawsuit against Boeing linked to the crash was filed Thursday. The parents of one passenger sued the company, claiming that the plane shot down, a 737 MAX 8, had an insecure design. The lawsuit alleges that Boeing failed to disclose a new security feature that did not exist in previous 737s.
Lion Air's Director of Operations accused Boeing of not disclosing to pilots information in the manuals about a safety feature that automatically lowers the nose of the aircraft to prevent or exit the stall.
Boeing chief executive Dennis Muilenburg told Fox Business Network on Tuesday that information was available as part of the training manual.
On Wednesday, a spokeswoman for Boeing said in an email that the company could not "discuss details of an ongoing investigation" and that she "had provided two updates to our operators of the whole world to recall existing procedures in these situations ".
"We are confident in the safety of the 737 MAX, safety remains our top priority and a core value for everyone at Boeing," said the spokesman.
CNN spoke of the accident to nine aviation experts, including pilots flying 737 MAX 8 aircraft. They all pointed out that only a full investigation would give a complete picture of what's going on. had actually been in the cockpit that morning, but they all concluded that, in one way or another, Boeing's actions were in vain – not only leaving the families of the victims in shambles. . , but also the aviation industry.
Boeing declined to comment on this article, referring CNN to its latest statement quoted above.
A facelift
In recent years, Lion Air, the famous Indonesian budget carrier, had metamorphosed.
In 2011, Lion Air announced a $ 21.7 billion order for 230 single-aisle and twin-jet jets, the largest commercial jet order in its history at the time, according to Boeing.
These upgrades may have meant a Lion Air offer to rectify its poor safety record over the last decade, including a 2013 non-fatal crash and a ban on European and US airspace between 2007 and 2016.
European and US bans have since been lifted, and the international civil aviation organization has awarded the airline its best safety rating this year. The MAX 8s have been a visible part of this boost.
But with any new fleet, pilots have to undergo additional training.
"As a general rule, when a new delivery of aircraft – even if they belong to the same family – airline operators are required to send their pilots to train," Bijan Vasigh, professor of economics and Finance at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, told CNN.
These training sessions usually take only a few days, but they give pilots time to become familiar with new features or changes to the system, said Vasigh.
One of the new features of the Max 8 is an anti-stall feature, the Maneuverability Enhancement System (MCAS). If the MCAS detects that the aircraft is flying too slowly or too strongly and may stall, it can automatically lower the nose of the plane.
It's supposed to be a security mechanism. But the problem, according to Lion Air and a growing number of international pilots, was that no one knew this system.
Zwingli Silalahi, Lion Air's operational director, said that Boeing had not suggested additional training for the 737 MAX 8 pilots. "We have not received any information from Boeing nor the regulator on additional training of our pilots, "Zwingli told CNN on Wednesday. .
"We do not have that in the Boeing 737 MAX 8 manual. That's why we do not have special training for this specific situation," he said.
Investigators are currently investigating whether an angle of attack sensor (AOA) located outside of the Lion Air aircraft had transmitted incorrect data that could have caused the MCAS to force the aircraft. 39, plane to sting.
An AOA sensor is an instrument, similar to a small wind vane, which lies outside the plane, just below the cockpit and sends information to its computers regarding the nose angle of the aircraft. plane in relation to the approaching air. The sensor helps determine if the plane is about to stall and dive.
Investigators said that the day before the crash, the jet had had problems with its AOA sensor, which had been replaced. According to Soerjanto Tjahjono, chairman of the Indonesian National Committee for Transport Safety (KNKT), the last four flights – including the crashed flight – also had problems.
CNN asked Boeing for a copy of the original manuals issued to carriers who purchased the Boeing 737 MAX 8. Boeing did not provide these operating manuals to CNN. Representatives from US, US and Southwest airlines all told CNN that Boeing did not include in its flight crew operating manual information explaining the functions of the new feature.
CNN reviewed updated Boeing guidelines issued on November 6 and a subsequent Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) emergency directive reinforcing Boeing's update on Nov. 7.
& # 39; Doomed & # 39;
Mary Schiavo, an aviation analyst at CNN and former Inspector General of the United States Department of Transportation, said that one of the selling points of the Boeing 737 fleet is that pilots can pass easily from one plane to the other if they are already trained on this plane. jets.
The fact that Boeing could have failed to include the appropriate guidelines in the new manual could have been an oversight, she said. She also said that updating a manual can be a long process for manufacturers and airlines.
According to Schiavo, it is possible that Boeing could have downplayed the changes made to the system, believing that she hoped the mistake would be "innocent".
Boeing probably "assumed that it would save the plane when it looks like the plane would have been sentenced," she added.
A Federal Aviation Authority (FAA) emergency directive, sent on November 7 to all MAX 8 operators, explained that pilots can stop a faulty automated system on these aircraft by pressing two buttons.
The FAA newsletter stated that all carriers had to revise their manuals within three days. "If this situation is not resolved, the flight crew may have difficulty controlling the aircraft and result in excessive dive attitude, significant altitude loss and possible impact on the ground", he declared.
Automated systems are known to sometimes malfunction, but trained pilots will know how to counteract these systems. Schiavo said that not sharing this information is another matter.
If the pilots were not aware of a new feature – or how to disable it in case of a malfunction – they would be configured for a failure, she said.
"All these improvements that they (the Boeing) market as more efficient and safer.Do it without the necessary training to turn it off … I think investigators and reports … will find that this "It was not an excusable error," she said, referring to another robbery, the 2003 Colgan Air 9446 accident, where the plane also suffered a deep and severe could not recover.
There is no way to physically overcome the force needed to counter a complete stoppage of the nose, she said, estimating the weight at around 800 kilos of force during the 2003 Colgan Air accident, stressing that it was a much smaller regional plane. the pilots did not fight against a computer.
"I think the industry, the pilots union – everyone is so stunned that the plane was able to do it and that the pilots were not trained to turn it off, knowing that it was not possible for them to do it. it could be a fatal dive, "Schiavo said.
Richard Aboulafia, vice president of analysis at aerospace and defense consulting firm, Teal Group Corporation, told CNN that he could not imagine that Boeing would voluntarily leave important information to pilots to gain a competitive advantage on his competitor.
"I really can not imagine that this is the case because the system does not really require a lot of extra training." Frankly (add), just one more page in the book would have been enough. that they did it for competitive reasons, I just do not understand that, "said Aboulafia.
Instead, he thinks it's possible that it's an oversight or a "technical mistake".
Aboulafia said it was "encouraging" that pilots express their concerns because their reactions contribute to the safety of the industry.
"If I were a consumer, I would be happy for the pilots to be heard, and happy that there is cooperation between the manufacturers and the regulators, as well as between the airlines and the airlines." pilots – it's precisely this process that has made the system such that it's over the past one hundred years of aviation.It's a very healthy triangle of people who communicate and you see that happening. unfold right now. "
Ignoring security devices
Dennis Tajer is one of those pilots who flew the 737 MAX 8. The Allied Pilots Association (APA), former captain of American Airlines, spokesperson for his union's 15,000 pilot members, said to CNN that the first time he had heard about the MCAS security feature was through a newsletter published by Boeing on November 6th.
The company said the bulletin was intended to reinforce the procedures already included in the 737 MAX flight manual. The APA rejects this claim. Tajer said Boeing had broken his trust, a key element of a safety culture in which he had been active for over 10 years.
"When you describe aircraft components whose existence we were totally unaware of, that's what's worrisome," said Tajer about his first reading of this newsletter.
"We want to know more about the new system – and you are using the stabilizer checklist (another related system) to describe things I did not know existed," he said.
Tajer imagines what it could have been for the Lion Air pilots, who he said were also unaware of the new system and had trouble understanding what was happening in the cockpit.
"These are human beings who are trying to figure out what was going on – like a crowd of 10 people shouting at them as an infamous and insidious system they did not know it was running into. plane, comes up against you. "
But not all pilots are pointing to Boeing.
Captain Todd Insler, president of the United Branch of ALPA, said the Lion Air pilots should have been aware of this procedure and that it was too early to say more about the cause of the crash. from Lion Air.
"The story here does not say why we did not know the new system, but why the pilots did not fly the plane," Insler said.
In a letter sent Thursday by ALPA President, Captain Tim Canoll, to the FAA and the US National Transportation Safety Board, ALPA has declared "concerned about the existence a potential and significant gap in the security of the air transport system "and requested" immediate assistance and assistance to clarify issues related to aircraft pitch control system. "
He added: "Most importantly … the reports indicate that information regarding the normal and unnatural operation of this system has not been provided to employees of the frontline airline, namely the crews of the airline. driving and maintenance technicians. "
Former pilot and author Patrick Smith, who does not fly 737 MAX planes, told CNN it was too early to determine what could have gone wrong, but it was possible to say that a alleged malfunction of the system was not entirely to blame.
However, Smith and Tajer believe that, as dark and horrible as the Lion Air crash, it has forced the industry to face tough questions and demand more transparency and positive learning outcomes, with passenger safety at its core. bar.
Tajer says that now his confidence in the company is slowly rebuilding and the MAX 8 pilots are not flying now, as they have crossed the "sound wall" of information.
"We will not fly a plane that is not sure, we have the back of our customers."
Aboulafia agrees that there is no reason for consumers to worry about what could be an abnormal incident, adding that the technological advances of the industry over the past century have demonstrated that aviation is "the safest form of transpiration ever conceived in human history."
"We do not yet know all the details of this accident, but as for other systems, they have never been so safe," said Aboulafia.
Schiavo is a little more careful.
"Personally, I would avoid the MAX 737 until the pilots have time to retrain," she said. "I like that my pilots know how to solve problems in flight."
Boeing, who did not comment on the allegations, said "deeply saddened by the loss of the Lion Air JT 610 flight".
"We express our sincere condolences and sympathies to the families and loved ones of those on board."
Automation as a collaboration
The Lion Air crash again triggered a wider discussion on the use of automated control systems and whether the cockpit procedures surrounding these systems are as safe as they should be. # 39; be.
This is the latest fatal accident involving an automatic flight control system. The crashes of the Air France 447 and AirAsia Flight 8501 flights had flight control systems and pilots working against each other with disastrous results, asking whether these systems were helping or hurting the aircrafts. drivers.
Peter Goetz, an aviation analyst at CNN and former executive director of the National Transportation Safety Board, believes that it is ultimately about transparency and training, not about automation.
"The pilots are extremely qualified and have the right training and the right information, they will make the right decisions, they will do the right thing, but if they do not know what to expect and what they are up to. they rely more and more on the infallibility of cable systems, so you face a real challenge – it's a bigger issue that's going to be looked at. "
Tajer agrees. He says technology has definitely increased the security of our global flight systems, but a unique diet is not always healthy.
"Automation is a remarkable addition to the plane when it collaborates," Tajer said.
"But if you do not talk to the human, it disconnects the human being from the system."
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