Boeing Retains Information on Model 737, According to Safety Experts and Others

The Boeing 737 MAX 8 and MAX 9's automated anti-stall system, designed to help cockpit crews avoid inadvertently lifting the nose of an aircraft, can, under unusual conditions, unexpectedly reduce it. prevent flight crews from turning back. up. Such a scenario, Boeing told airlines in a global safety bulletin about a week after the accident, may result in a steep dive or crash – even if pilots fly the jet aircraft manually and do not do not expect to flight control computers.

This warning was a surprise for many pilots using the latest models for US carriers. Security experts involved in the investigation and following up on the investigation said that US carriers, company directors and pilots had not learned that such a system had been added to the latest version. 737 – and that airmen were therefore generally unprepared to face potential risks.

"It's pretty simple for them to set up a system on an airplane and not to tell the pilots who fly it, especially when it comes to flight controls," he said. Captain Mike Michaelis, Chair of the Allied Pilots Association Safety Committee, representing approximately 15,000

American Airlines

the pilots. "Why have not they been trained for this?"

A Federal Aviation Administration official, knowing the details, said the new flight control systems were not mentioned in training materials or in long discussions between carriers and regulators on the progressive integration of the latest 737 derivatives .

Boeing declined to immediately answer specific questions on Monday. "We are taking all steps to fully understand all aspects of this incident, and are working closely with the investigation 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 requested changes to the flight manual in order to highlight appropriate pilot responses to the new flight control systems. "The FAA will take further action if the conclusions of the accident investigation warrant," the statement said, but declined to comment further.

Boeing marketed the MAX 8 in part by informing customers that it would not need additional drivers to take additional simulator training beyond what was already required for earlier versions, according to representatives industry and government. A senior Boeing official said the company had decided not to disclose more details to cockpit crews, fearing to flood the average pilots with too much information – and much more technical data – as necessary or that they could not digest.

A few minutes after taking off from Jakarta in good weather, Lion Air flight 610 had problems with the speed indicators and an associated system that was transmitting to the computers data related to the nose angle. The accident killed the 189 people on board.

The investigators did not describe the precise sequence of events that caused the twin-engine jet to collapse in the Java Sea at an abrupt, high-speed angle. However, the Indonesian authorities have already requested enhanced pilot training and suggested addressing design issues. In the United States at least, significant changes in training will have to wait until new flight simulators are delivered to carriers.

According to the people who are following the evolution of the situation, the probe is moving away from its efforts to focus on individual system malfunctions and suspicious errors of pilots.

Instead, these people said that US and Indonesian accident investigators are increasingly investigating how the MAX 8's automated flight control systems interact with each other, and with what meticulousness the FAA and Boeing have analyzed the potential dangers in case of malfunction and incorrect power supply. or unreliable data to the computers of the aircraft. Disabling the automated function quickly is the solution in such cases.

Previous versions of the 737 had different stall protection systems, which did not work automatically even when other functions of the autopilot were disabled. However, the operation of these older systems was highlighted over the years during the training and the pilots had to memorize the steps to be taken to counter unintended and potentially dangerous consequences. The training material for MAX 8 does not include the need to memorize the steps to disable the stall protection system.

The in-depth review of the latest features of the 737 MAX applies to more than 200 models delivered to customers worldwide, including:

Southwest Airlines
,

American Airlines and United Airlines. The Boeing 737 plant near Seattle currently produces 52 aircraft a month.

"We are furious that Boeing has not warned the companies and that the pilots have not been forewarned," said Captain Jon Weaks, president of the Southwest Airlines Co. pilots' union. we need now, it's … to make sure that nothing is blamed on Boeing, the companies or the pilots. "

Like Weaks, some FAA and industry leaders are not happy with what they consider Boeing's late franchise.

Boeing is working on a software patch, according to industry and government officials, which would likely mitigate the risks. On Saturday, the company went further than before to explain the dangers that pilots may face if they misinterpret or react too slowly to counter automated controls.

In a message sent to 737 operators, and reviewed by the Wall Street Journal, the Chicago aircraft manufacturer explained in detail the engineering principles and operational parameters behind the latest automation.

This message was more detailed than the bulletin Boeing had voluntarily published earlier, warning pilots of the potential danger and prompting a debate on the design of the drop prevention system. Within hours, the FAA responded to its emergency directive requiring changes to flight manuals.

Such interim efforts "are very appropriate in the short term to increase pilots' awareness," said John Cox, a former 737 pilot and former crash investigator of North America's largest pilot union, who is now devoting to the safety of carriers and business aviation.

Boeing's latest communications with airlines have led the US union to alert its members. "This is the first description you, 737 pilots, have seen," the union said in a memorandum to the pilots, referring to the 737 MAX's stall prevention system. Noting that the system was not mentioned in the textbooks of American Airlines or Boeing, the memo of the union added, "It will be soon".

The ultimate means of countering dangerous automated nose control is almost identical for old and new systems, although the 737 MAX 8 checklists and procedures have more steps and take longer. Investigators and security experts are convinced that, as the emergency situation worsened, the Lion Air crew had just a few seconds to diagnose the problem and take steps to resolve the problem. save the plane.

According to local Indonesian media, shortly before the plane crashed, one of the pilots told the air traffic controllers of his difficulties in controlling the plane.

Write to Andy Pasztor at [email protected] and Andrew Tangel at [email protected]