All 157 passengers of an Ethiopian Airlines flight 302 died today, an accident that looks similar to the Indonesian Lion Air crash which caused 189 victims in October 2018.
The Ethiopian Boeing 737, a brand new plane, lost contact six minutes after departure from Bole International Airport; the 737 departing from Jakarta had done the same twelve minutes after taking off.
In both cases the weather was optimal and the pilots were experts. Ethiopian Airlines has a good safety record.
Both planes belong to the MAX variant, which features a "Manoeuvring Characteristics Augmentation System" software to increase safety. Depending on sensor input, such software lowers the nose of the airplane, to prevent stalling. Investigations into the first disaster suggest the pilot might have had trouble with the automatic systems over this issue.
The two black boxes (with cockpit voice and flight data respectively), are likely to be recovered.
Sources:
https://www.independent.co.uk/travel/news-and-advice/ethiopian-airlines-crash-news-latest-death-toll-addis-ababa-nairobi-boeing-737-max-a8816296.html
https://www.mercurynews.com/2019/03/10/second-crash-of-new-boeing-737-max-8-aggravates-safety-concerns/
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U.S. Grounds Boeing Planes, After Days of Pressure
After days of mounting pressure, the United States grounded Boeing's 737 Max aircraft on Wednesday, reversing an earlier decision in which American regulators said the planes could keep flying after a deadly crash in Ethiopia.
The decision, announced by President Trump, followed determinations by safety regulators in some 42 countries to ban flights by the jets, which are now grounded worldwide. Pilots, flight attendants, consumers and politicians from both major parties had been agitating for the planes to be grounded in the United States. Despite the clamor, the Federal Aviation Administration had been resolute, saying on Tuesday that it had seen "no systemic performance issues" that would prompt it to halt flights of the jet.
That changed Wednesday when, in relatively quick succession, Canadian and American aviation authorities said they were grounding the planes after newly available satellite-tracking data suggested similarities between Sunday's crash in Ethiopia and one involving a Boeing 737 Max 8 in Indonesia in October.
Previously: Second 737 MAX8 Airplane Crash Reinforces Speculation on Flying System Problems
Related: Boeing 737 MAX 8 Could Enable $69 Trans-Atlantic Flights
Boeing takes $5 billion hit as Indonesian airline cancels 737 MAX order
Indonesia's largest air carrier has informed Boeing that it wants to cancel a $4.9 billion order for 49 Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft. Garuda Indonesia spokesperson Ikhsan Rosan said in a statement to the Associated Press that the airline was cancelling due to concern that "its business would be damaged due to customer alarm over the crashes."
Garuda had originally ordered 50 737 MAX aircraft, and Boeing delivered the first of those aircraft in December of 2017. The airline already operates 77 older Boeing 737 models; two of the aircraft ordered were conversions from earlier orders for 737-800s. Garuda also flies Boeing's 777-300 ER, and the company retired its 747-400 fleet in the last few years—so the airline was looking for an economical long-range aircraft to fill in gaps.
Doomed Boeing Jets Lacked 2 Safety Features That Company Sold Only as Extras
As the pilots of the doomed Boeing jets in Ethiopia and Indonesia fought to control their planes, they lacked two notable safety features in their cockpits. One reason: Boeing charged extra for them.
For Boeing and other aircraft manufacturers, the practice of charging to upgrade a standard plane can be lucrative. Top airlines around the world must pay handsomely to have the jets they order fitted with customized add-ons. Sometimes these optional features involve aesthetics or comfort, like premium seating, fancy lighting or extra bathrooms. But other features involve communication, navigation or safety systems, and are more fundamental to the plane's operations.
Many airlines, especially low-cost carriers like Indonesia's Lion Air, have opted not to buy them — and regulators don't require them. Now, in the wake of the two deadly crashes involving the same jet model, Boeing will make one of those safety features standard as part of a fix to get the planes in the air again.
See also: They didn't buy the DLC: feature that could've prevented 737 crashes was sold as an option
Previously: Second 737 MAX8 Airplane Crash Reinforces Speculation on Flying System Problems
Boeing 737 Max Aircraft Grounded in the U.S. and Dozens of Other Countries
DoJ Issues Subpoenas in 737 Max Investigation
Pilot Who Hitched a Ride Saved Lion Air 737 Day Before Deadly Crash
The crew of a Southwest Airlines Boeing 737 Max declared an emergency shortly after takeoff and returned to Orlando's main airport on Tuesday after reporting an engine problem, the Federal Aviation Administration said.
The FAA grounded this type of aircraft earlier this month following two fatal crashes of the popular model.
Airlines aren't allowed to fly passengers under the FAA's order. The Southwest plane, which was not carrying passengers, was bound for Victorville, Calif., where the carrier is storing the aircraft in a facility in the western Mojave Desert.
[...] The FAA said it is investigating the Southwest incident on Tuesday and that the issue was not related to other concerns about the 737 Max that led the agency to ground the plane.
Also at CNN.
See also: Boeing is handling the 737 Max crisis all wrong
Previously: Second 737 MAX8 Airplane Crash Reinforces Speculation on Flying System Problems
Boeing 737 Max Aircraft Grounded in the U.S. and Dozens of Other Countries
DoJ Issues Subpoenas in 737 Max Investigation
Pilot Who Hitched a Ride Saved Lion Air 737 Day Before Deadly Crash
Airline Cancels $4.9 Billion Boeing 737 MAX Order; Doomed Planes Lacked Optional Safety Features
https://www.npr.org/2019/12/17/788775642/boeing-will-temporarily-stop-making-its-737-max-jetliners
Production will stop in January. The jets were grounded after two crashes that killed nearly 350 people. Despite being grounded, Boeing continued cranking the planes out at its factory near Seattle.
(The interview had more good information, but at time of submission, the transcript wasn't available. There may be better articles out there.)
There are. Here's one:
Boeing will suspend 737 Max production in January at CNBC:
Boeing is planning to suspend production of its beleaguered 737 Max planes next month, the company said Monday, a drastic step after the Federal Aviation Administration said its review of the planes would continue into next year, dashing the manufacturer's forecast.
Boeing's decision to temporarily shut down production, made after months of a cash-draining global grounding of its best-selling aircraft, worsens one of the most severe crises in the history of the century-old manufacturer. It is ramping up pressure on CEO Dennis Muilenburg, whom the board stripped of his chairmanship in October as the crisis wore on.
The measure is set to ripple through the aerospace giant's supply chain and broader economy. It also presents further problems for airlines, which have lost hundreds of millions of dollars and canceled thousands of flights without the fuel-efficient planes in their fleets.
Boeing said it does not plan to lay off or furlough workers at the Renton, Washington, factory where the 737 Max is produced during the production pause. Some of the 12,000 workers there will be temporarily reassigned.
Previously:
Boeing's 737 Max Troubles Deepen, Taking Airlines, Suppliers With It
Review of 737 Max Certification Finds Fault With Boeing and F.A.A.
American Airlines Says It Will Resume Flights With Boeing’s 737 Max Jets in January
AP Sources: Boeing Changing 737 Max Software to Use 2 Computers
Boeing Falsified Records for 787 Jet Sold to Air Canada
Boeing Pledges $100M to Families of 737 Max Crash Victims
Capt. 'Sully' Sullenberger and Boeing 737 Max News
Boeing’s Own Test Pilots Lacked Key Details Of 737 Max Flight-Control System
Boeing CEO Defends 737 Max Flight Control System
Analysis: Why FAA-Approved Emergency Procedures Failed to Save ET302
Initial Findings Put Boeing's Software at Center of Ethiopian 737 Crash
Southwest Airlines Boeing 737 Max Flight Makes Emergency Landing (While Carrying No Passengers)
Airline Cancels $4.9 Billion Boeing 737 MAX Order; Doomed Planes Lacked Optional Safety Features
Pilot Who Hitched a Ride Saved Lion Air 737 Day Before Deadly Crash
DoJ Issues Subpoenas in 737 Max Investigation
Boeing 737 Max Aircraft Grounded in the U.S. and Dozens of Other Countries
Second 737 MAX8 Airplane Crash Reinforces Speculation on Flying System Problems
Boeing's promised 737 Max production halt begins:
The airline manufacturer had announced last month it would stop making the troubled craft at least until it was no longer grounded, but hadn't set a date. However the line has officially stopped producing planes while Boeing officials wait for regulators to give it the OK to fly again.
[...] The latest update estimated the grounding would last through at least mid-2020, Boeing said in a statement Tuesday.
Boeing will reassign 3,000 workers after 737 MAX production halt
Boeing Co said it will reassign 3,000 workers to other jobs as it halts production of the grounded best-selling 737 MAX jet in mid-January.
The announcement came after American Airlines Group Inc and Mexico's Aeromexico disclosed they were the latest carriers to reach settlements with Boeing over losses resulting from the grounding of the 737 MAX aircraft.
Neither airline disclosed the compensation. A number of airlines have struck confidential settlements with Boeing in recent weeks. Boeing said it does not comment on discussions with airlines.
Boeing's biggest supplier lays off 2,800 workers because of 737 Max production suspension:
Spirit AeroSystems (SPR), which makes fuselages for the Max as well as other items for Boeing, announced Friday that it is furloughing approximately 2,800 workers. Shares of the Wichita, Kansas-based company fell more than 1% in trading.
"The difficult decision announced today is a necessary step given the uncertainty related to both the timing for resuming 737 Max production and the overall production levels that can be expected following the production suspension," Spirit AeroSystems CEO Tom Gentile said in a press release.
Boeing wants to resume 737 Max production months before regulators sign off on the planes:
(Score: 3, Interesting) by mendax on Monday March 11 2019, @08:37AM (16 children)
I would not want to be a Boeing stockholder right now.
On the other hand, Boeing is going to resolve this problem just as it has resolved over problems with its newest planes in the past and the 737 MAX is going to be a very safe plane. A look into a flight safety database shows that the Boeing 707, its first jetliner, had a horrible safety record in the beginning. They fixed its problems and it became a reliable and safe work horse for decades.
It's really quite a simple choice: Life, Death, or Los Angeles.
(Score: 3, Interesting) by driverless on Monday March 11 2019, @09:34AM (5 children)
I might become a Boeing stock buyer soon. It's bound to dip quite a bit before the inevitable recovery.
(Score: 3, Touché) by Bot on Monday March 11 2019, @10:09AM (4 children)
>It's bound to dip quite a bit
I see what you did there.
Account abandoned.
(Score: 4, Funny) by ledow on Monday March 11 2019, @11:01AM (3 children)
Stocks always crash a bit before they start to soar.
(Score: 5, Funny) by takyon on Monday March 11 2019, @11:15AM (2 children)
WITH NO SURVIVORS
[SIG] 10/28/2017: Soylent Upgrade v14 [soylentnews.org]
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday March 11 2019, @04:13PM
except Warren Buffett.
(Score: 2) by linkdude64 on Tuesday March 12 2019, @01:33AM
Boeing 737...that's a big plane.
(Score: 2, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Monday March 11 2019, @10:14AM
If it ain't Boeing, I ain't crashing ;-)
(Score: 2) by Bot on Monday March 11 2019, @12:02PM (2 children)
Boeing is going to resolve this problem.
Resolving software problems minihowto:
1. does it run some sort of windows? start anew.
2. does it run some sort of unix? linux maybe? remove systemd.
3. there is no step 3
Account abandoned.
(Score: 1, Touché) by Anonymous Coward on Monday March 11 2019, @01:53PM (1 child)
Many passengers died to bring us this "humor".
(Score: 1, Touché) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday March 12 2019, @12:14AM
Hadn't I make the joke, they would still be here, right?
(Score: 2) by deadstick on Monday March 11 2019, @12:04PM (1 child)
OTOH, Lockheed successfully fixed the wing-shedding problem on the Electra, but the airplane never recovered. The US Navy version soldiers on, but airlines just flat stopped buying it.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday March 11 2019, @10:28PM
The replacement for the P-3C Orion is the P-8A, based on the 737.
(Score: 5, Interesting) by choose another one on Monday March 11 2019, @12:49PM (3 children)
Yes, but the problem with that comparison is that the MAX is not a new plane, it is a re-engined and modified version of the NG which is a modified version of the original 737. The 737 NG has a great safety record - the number built is 20x the current MAXes in service, and they've been in service about 20x longer, but without 20x the hull losses or fatalities the MAX now has.
IF it turns out that (as with Lion Air) the cause of this accident lies in the differences between NG and MAX, it will be hard to escape the conclusion that far from fixing its problems, Boeing have introduced them and f***ed up a basically safe design in order to remain competitive with Airbus. We already know from the Lion Air fallout that the new engines on the MAX messed up the stability to the point that it was un-certifiable without adding Airbus/FBW-like protection systems that override pilot control inputs - that is something Boeing has never done before, probably shouldn't have done, and certainly not without telling the pilots.
If you take a safe and proven building design and "just" add a couple of extra floors, and repeat, eventually you will get to the point where your building design is no longer safe and needs to be redesigned from the foundations up, it's possible the 737 edifice reached that point and no one noticed or if they did Boeing ignored them.
The next question will be is the design actually fixable - Boeing were going to have a quick software fix for the MCAS issue but they have pulled back from that to reconsider, possibly indicating they've run into difficulties with it. The difficulty with the 737 is that most of it is still grandfathered in under the original 1960s type certificate and regulations, any change that threatens that will be too expensive - there will be an awful lot of the aircraft that just wouldn't meet current regs. The FAA will probably bend over backwards to help Boeing, but that may not be enough - the Chinese have already grounded the MAX and getting that reversed might prove to be very expensive... (there's probably a few chinese somewhere dancing for joy round a Trump voodoo doll right now).
(Score: 2) by RS3 on Monday March 11 2019, @06:21PM
From what little I know and have read, the angle-of-attack sensors seem to have problems and get replaced. And pitot tube problems. If the MCAS is getting bad information it might make very bad decisions and nosedive. There's a lot of finger-pointing going on, including whether the pilots knew about the systems and how to disable them. We've now seen several plane crashes caused by some kind of automation that contradicts the pilots.
My point: it needs to be very easy for a pilot to override any autopilot. I'm okay with automation sounding alarms, suggesting corrective measures, but the pilot may know for sure that the automation is making bad decisions and it should not fight the pilots. Also, indicators need to be more prominent. Some crashes have occurred because automation was partially disabled, but the pilots didn't understand this. Both Boeing and Airbus have had these problems and crashes.
(Score: 4, Funny) by RS3 on Monday March 11 2019, @06:32PM
Reading on in the wiki page https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lion_Air_Flight_610 [wikipedia.org] it's revealed that Boeing did not even mention the MCAS in the flight training manual. I'm stunned. Is it me, or is this a really bad thing? What is going on with automation that can't be disabled? The robots slowly taking over, right? Little by little eliminating the meatbags, right? Robots, we are noticing, and we'll all be carrying wire cutters.
(Score: 5, Informative) by legont on Tuesday March 12 2019, @12:01AM
The issue here is that Boeing used new more economical engines, which are bigger. They did not fit under the wing where engines used to be so Boeing moved them forward. That introduced very undesirable flight characteristics such as a sudden departure stall and similar. Basically, under certain conditions, the airplane becomes unstable and hard to fly. Boeing "fixed" this problem using software that is supposedly never allows the airplane to get into those dangerous conditions. That software fails to address all the situations. Also, as with any software, it can't reliably work when sensors are faulty.
That was a simplified version, mind you. The bottom line is that the airplane was intentionally made less safe to save money. It is not fixable. We'll have to accept the aditional risk.
"Wealth is the relentless enemy of understanding" - John Kenneth Galbraith.
(Score: 2) by isostatic on Monday March 11 2019, @02:36PM
If it's Boeing, I ain't going
(Score: 3, Interesting) by PocketSizeSUn on Monday March 11 2019, @08:28PM (1 child)
But based on the second crash I will simply burn a ticket (exit the aircraft) if the equipment is a MAX. I usually confirm the equipment before I buy a ticket and I will not buy a flight that has a segment using a MAX. Maybe after they fix something and there have been no further incidents for 3-4 years I will reconsider. As it is the MAX is really an assisted suicide lottery machine, not a transportation device.
Current pilot training needed to overcome the clear deficiencies in the MAX design is not being done and failure to call out the explicit need for significant pilot re-training and qualification to fly the MAX by Boeing appears to be a case of will full disregard for both customers and the poor sods that end up riding in these death tubes.
(Score: 1) by khallow on Tuesday March 12 2019, @03:20AM
It's remarkably inefficient at such. I wonder how it compares to my car as a suicide device?
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday March 11 2019, @10:30PM
Just a coincidence, or is Boeing testing top secret new CIA ethnic cleansing device to be used where their AIDS virus failed?
(Score: 1) by Luke on Tuesday March 12 2019, @02:45AM (1 child)
Hold up, as yet there are no particular pointers [yet] towards this being an MCAS issue, or there being any contributory problem with this aircraft.
Whilst it could yet be the case that MCAS has some input I'd suggest you might want to also consider the crew experience as a possible factor (subject to confirmation of posted data purported to be from Ethiopian Airlines).
In most countries a pilot cannot fly commercially without first obtaining a Commercial Pilots License (CPL), this generally takes ~200hrs of flight time - much of which is training flights - and many hours of ground school. It's been said that the First Officer in ET301 had just 200 hours and although unclear whether this was 'on type', or total time. If it's true then, coupled with a Captain who was also reasonably new to his position, it may be that this wasn't the best combination to deal with any untoward events...
As with many disasters it's rarely just one specific thing that's the direct cause, usually it's an accumulation of several factors or events that eventually lead to the failure or crash. At this point the detail is very sketchy so to leap to the conclusion that MCAS is the only factor - without even any confirmation or real detail yet on Lion Air - isn't necessarily supported by the present facts, few as they are.
I would expect those that investigate the crash to consider all evidence openly and without bias, in particular they shouldn't [won't] be inclined to groupthink https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Groupthink [wikipedia.org] around MCAS, because it could be something else, or several things together.
(Score: 2) by choose another one on Tuesday March 12 2019, @10:00AM
Granted (maybe). There are, however, multiple similarities with Lion Air given what we know from reported ATC comms and FR24 data - all of which should be taken with same pinch of salt as reports of low hours pilots until confirmation.
* apparent difficulties in pitch control shortly after takeoff (FR24 altitude / vertical speed data - some of which looks eerily similar to the Lion Air flight)
* pilots reported unreliable airspeed indication
* pilots reported flight control difficulties
* pilots requested return, turned back (or started to)
* followed by high speed impact