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posted by janrinok on Thursday April 09 2020, @02:28PM   Printer-friendly
from the long-path-to-recovery dept.

Boeing making new 737 MAX software updates to address computer issue:

Boeing Co (BA.N) said late on Tuesday it will make two new software updates to the 737 MAX's flight control computer as it works to win regulatory approval to resume flights after the jet was grounded following two fatal crashes in five months.

The planemaker confirmed to Reuters that one issue involves hypothetical faults in the flight control computer microprocessor, which could potentially lead to a loss of control known as a runaway stabilizer, while the other issue could potentially lead to disengagement of the autopilot feature during final approach. Boeing said the software updates will address both issues.

The Federal Aviation Administration said on Tuesday it is in contact with Boeing as it "continues its work on the automated flight control system on the 737 MAX. The manufacturer must demonstrate compliance with all certification standards."

The largest U.S. planemaker has been dealing with a number of software issues involving the plane that has been grounded since March 2019. Boeing halted production in January. Boeing said it does not expect the issues to impact its current forecast of a mid-year return to service for the plane. Boeing said the new software issues are not tied to a key anti-software system known as MCAS faulted in both fatal crashes.


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  • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday April 09 2020, @04:11PM (8 children)

    by Anonymous Coward on Thursday April 09 2020, @04:11PM (#980602)

    wasn't it unsafe because the pilots didn't know?
    the story of the "off duty guardian angel" pilot on one flight suggests that if "you know something about flying a plane MANUALLY" that MCAS can be overriden if caught early enough (lots of manual cranking?)...
    the misery with the max seems to be that a behaviour of a NEW system was hidden because mentioning it would have classified the max as a new aircraft type?

  • (Score: 5, Insightful) by Runaway1956 on Thursday April 09 2020, @04:57PM (1 child)

    by Runaway1956 (2926) Subscriber Badge on Thursday April 09 2020, @04:57PM (#980612) Journal

    Your summary is pretty accurate, yes. Basically, Boeing was bullshitting the FAA, and the FAA didn't really care much, because they haven't had to do their job properly in a long time.

    • (Score: 2, Funny) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday April 09 2020, @06:27PM

      by Anonymous Coward on Thursday April 09 2020, @06:27PM (#980630)

      SN needs a Runaway stabilizer.

  • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday April 09 2020, @04:59PM (4 children)

    by Anonymous Coward on Thursday April 09 2020, @04:59PM (#980613)

    wasn't it unsafe because the pilots didn't know?

    Even once they knew, it was virtually impossible to save the plane when MCAS went haywire if they followed a checklist. You basically had to know immediately to turn this off in 4 places or you will crash if you delayed.

    • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday April 10 2020, @01:30AM (3 children)

      by Anonymous Coward on Friday April 10 2020, @01:30AM (#980711)

      It is two switches located right next to each other and it is the second step of the process after turning off the automatic controls. Even worse runaway stabilizer trims should have been in their simulator training program.

      • (Score: 2) by nishi.b on Friday April 10 2020, @09:19PM (2 children)

        by nishi.b (4243) on Friday April 10 2020, @09:19PM (#980912)

        Enquiries reported that when aerodynamic forces were too high (due to the angle of the plane) as happened in both accidents, the force needed to manually correct the trim was so high that turning the wheel 40 times was impossible:
        https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maneuvering_Characteristics_Augmentation_System#Manual_trim_stiffness [wikipedia.org]

        • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday April 11 2020, @02:18AM

          by Anonymous Coward on Saturday April 11 2020, @02:18AM (#980990)

          Even that link points out the roller-coaster maneuver, which they also should have known. But you get the runaway until the MCAS cycle stops, then try to use the trim motors to push it back and start to regain altitude. It happens again, then retrim the motors and cut it off. Or cut it off the first time. The trim wheels can be turned manually quite easily in the area where they should have caught it. But most pilots are to afraid to say stuff like that publicly because they don't want to be on the other side of that situation, normalize such behavior, or make flyers even more nervous about the competency of their pilots.

        • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday April 12 2020, @02:13PM

          by Anonymous Coward on Sunday April 12 2020, @02:13PM (#981504)
          Most pilots wouldn't know what to do because they're told "Don't worry it flies just like a 737". They're not told about the part "except when it keeps trying to nose dive into the ground when a sensor fails or something", because if they officially and more publicly did that then too many people might say "Hey that's not a 737, so 737 pilots who fly it need to go through certification".

          So yeah, smarter, more knowledgeable, more paranoid pilots would figure/know/learn how to turn the stuff off. But the rest? They might be dead before they figure out the right response to this unexpected stuff. It could conceivably be something else that's causing a nose dive right? The normal response would be to keep "pulling" the plane up, and this didn't work well enough for the faulty 737 Max planes.

          It's just like a truck driver who is given a new truck and is told, "don't worry it handles just like the previous model". And then one day it keeps trying to turn off a cliff. Yeah the driver can easily turn off the autosteer with some switches near the steering column. But the previous model never did shit like that.

          So I'd say the pilots who died might not have been great pilots but I wouldn't say they're incompetent. I personally wouldn't want to be in passenger plane that _requires_ pilots to be that good, unless there's a certification process required that ensures pilots who fly that plane are that good or better.
  • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday April 10 2020, @05:39AM

    by Anonymous Coward on Friday April 10 2020, @05:39AM (#980762)

    That is the official story, but there is some indication that MCAS was also covering for a more severe design fault. If the air-frame is unstable then they can't certify it, fixed MCAS or not.