Boeing Knew About 737 Max Sensor Problem Before Plane Crash In Indonesia

[TomSea]

Boeing Knew About 737 Max Sensor Problem Before Plane Crash In Indonesia
Laurel Wamsley Twitter

 Elaine Thompson/AP

Boeing knew that there was a problem with one of the safety features on its 737 Max planes back in 2017 – well before the Lion Air crash in October 2018 and the Ethiopian Airlines crash in March. But it did not disclose the issue to airlines or safety regulators until after the Lion Air plane crashed off the Indonesian coast, killing all 189 aboard.

In a statement Sunday, Boeing said its engineers discovered a problem with a key safety indicator within months of Boeing delivering the first 737 Max planes to airlines. The indicator, called an angle of attack disagree alert, is designed to warn pilots if the plane's sensors are transmitting contradictory data about the direction of the plane's nose.

Boeing intended for the indicator to be standard on the 737 Max, in keeping with the features available on previous generations of 737s. But its engineers discovered that the sensor worked only with a separate, optional safety feature. Boeing said the faulty software was delivered by a vendor, which it didn't name.

Read more at: https://www.npr.org/2019/05/06/720553748/boeing-knew-about-737-max-sensor-problem-before-plane-crash-in-indonesia

They knew but thought, the problem had been fixed I believe is what the rest of the article says.

[Sanguine]

This is going to hurt them.

[NavyCanDo]

I work on the program so I'm going to watch what I say on the topic so as not to disclose anything not publically released, but in my 33 years there I have never seen anything like this. MAX is a great plane and it's sad that the workers, the suppliers, and most of all, the customers have to suffer.

[Right_in_Virginia]

I work on the program so I'm going to watch what I say on the topic so as not to disclose anything not publically released, but in my 33 years there I have never seen anything like this. MAX is a great plane and it's sad that the workers, the suppliers, and most of all, the customers have to suffer.

How do you feel about the hundreds of families suffering from the death of loved ones @NavyCanDo

[NavyCanDo]

How do you feel about the hundreds of families suffering from the death of loved ones @NavyCanDo

What kind of a stupid comment is that. All Boeing employees are saddened by what happened. And 99.999 % of them had nothing to do with the development of the ECAS software.

[Right_in_Virginia]

What kind of a stupid comment is that. All Boeing employees are saddened by what happened. And 99.999 % of them had nothing to do with the development of the ECAS software.

It's not a stupid question at all.  You remembered the suppliers in your litany of who you feel sad for .... but somehow forgot to mention the dead and their survivors.

Boeing effed up and people died.  THIS is the tragedy.