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Extra pilot averted disaster on previous Boeing 737 Max 8 flight - report
(CNN)An off-duty pilot in the cockpit of a Boeing 737 Max 8 jet jumped in to help crew disable a malfunctioning flight-control system as it experienced difficulties in October, according to Bloomberg. The next day, with a different crew, the same plane crashed into the sea off Jakarta, killing all 189 people on board. (www.cnn.com) Altro...Sort type: [Top] [Newest]
My understanding is that the optional angle-of-attack indicator is purchased by the US airlines, while foreign airlines do not purchase it. Without the indicator the pilots need to disable the automatic systems in order to correct the problem, which is where training comes in.
Listen to "Sulley" Boeing has paid so much in lobbying efforts that the FAA has been bought and paid for. Bribery will be the ruination of country.
I find it extremely difficult to think that the only problems with runaway MCAS SYSTEMS occurred to Lion Air and Ethiopian Max 8 planes so the million dollar question is: what about the aircrews of US Airlines that have been flying them for over a year. No problems? mmm. What I am driving at is: if US aircrews experienced problems what they did to avoid a tragedy, had they received specific training on the damn MCAS thing or simply disconnected it out of intuity/horse sense and good airmanship.
In my mind, the cause of the Lyon Air crash probably came out of no where, at least as far as most operators knew. But shortly afterwords, the collective finger was being pointed at the MCAS system and I remember several noted US aviation experts referring to the cutoff switches for the system and there was some discussion about the necessity to disable the AP and even the AT if control problems came up. Granted, Boeing has taken too long to address the problem, but any self respecting operator should have been all over the problem using whatever information was available to bring all their crews up to speed. As far as I know, there have been few or no incidents with the 737 Max 8 with US carriers. Could this be because of the depth of crew experience and overall training?
I read that American Airlines? said they had 40,000 flights with no stabilizer issue on the MAX. If they fix their AOA sensors more promptly maybe it never happens. Or maybe foreign carriers somehow got a bad batch of AOA sensors.
18,000 flights..about 46,000 flight hours...but even AA pilots have said there were issues with the craft, not just MCAS..we don't know for sure if MCAS had anything to do with either accident, but you have to remember...this is not really a B737..it may say so, it may have a lot of the same airframe, but when you take the engines, move them forward and up, and add extra weight, the 737NG handling goes right out the window.
Pilots of the US carriers made notes and made complaints, to Boeing, long before these accidents, and it should have been addressed then and there. You have to remember that most US pilots who fly the MAX are amongst 100's of others in the US where they can take notes and how to's among themselves, where as some overseas operators are lucky if it's a dozen or much less. Compound that with Boeing's inability to properly place notification about, how to use, and what to do should the need arise to disable the system, out of the manual. That part is inexcusable.
I totally agree about Boeing's responsibility, bur as the old saying goes, "when in doubt, fly the airplane." Systems fail and proper training requires that competent crews sheould be able to overcome most of the failures. I'm reminded of one of the SR-71 flights over the Pacific when its navigation system quit. They were able to return to home plate using the whisky compass.
You cant properly train on an aircraft if items that need mentioning are not mentioned..again this should have been addressed at the onset. We were not in the cockpit to see exactly what was happening, but information given to pilots is needed.
The SR-71 flight crews knew about, and were shown how to use, all the gadgets the craft had, and so were able to make use of said instruments, when others failed.
The SR-71 flight crews knew about, and were shown how to use, all the gadgets the craft had, and so were able to make use of said instruments, when others failed.