First Lion Air, now Ethiopian Airlines: What caused the Boeing 787 MAX 8 plane to plummet, killing 157 passengers? First Lion Air, now Ethiopian Airlines: What caused the Boeing 787 MAX 8 plane to plummet, killing 157 passengers?... When it was unveiled in 2017, the new Boeing 737 MAX 8 was touted as the “most reliable aircraft” in the world, promising to change the way we fly. Technologically advanced, cheaper to run and offering the latest in passenger comfort, the fleet was spruiked as a fuel-efficient upgrade on previous models and, according to Boeing, was the fastest-selling plane in its history with thousands of orders placed by airlines around the world — including Australia. But within just six months, the glitzy new 737’s have been involved in two catastrophic incidents, with two MAX 8 models faltering just minutes after takeoff and plunging into a deadly descent. The air disasters have prompted airlines around the world to ground their MAX 8s until the cause of the accidents can be properly investigated. On Monday night, Indonesia and China both announced they were grounding their Max 8 fleets. Comair, the operator of British Airways and Kulula flights in South Africa followed suit, also confirming it had grounded its Boeing 737 Max 8 while it consults with Boeing, other operators and technical experts. A statement does not say how many planes are affected. It says the decision was made without intervention from regulatory authorities. Meanwhile State-run carrier Oman Air, who operates five Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft, tweeted on Monday that is talking to Boeing “to understand if there are any implications” for other airlines operating Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft. Cayman Airways, which operates two new Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft, also said on Monday it was grounding both planes “until more information is received.” Ethiopian media reported Monday night the black box from the aircraft had been found. An airline official told the Associated Press the box was partially damaged and that “we will see what we can retrieve from it.” The box could hold vital clues about why the plane crashed. On Sunday, Ethiopian Airlines confirmed there were no survivors of flight ET 302 — a MAX 8 aircraft — carrying 157 people, including eight crew, on board. The horror crash occurred just six minutes after taking off from Ethiopia’s capital, Addis Ababa bound for Nairobi in Kenya. Meanwhile Boeing shares have also plummeted by more than nine per cent after the plane crash. Ethiopian Airlines CEO Tewolde GebreMariam said the pilot of the doomed flight, who had clocked 8000 hours in the air, reported difficulties just minutes in to the journey and asked to turn back to the Ethiopian capital of Addis Ababa. Data shows the flight left the city about 8.38am local time and climbed to 2600m. However, just six minutes later, takeoff contact with the aircraft was lost. The crash follows a horror six months for Boeing, after another MAX 8 went down just 13 minutes after takeoff from Jakarta, Indonesia, killing all 189 people on board in October 2018. “It’s highly suspicious,” Mary Schiavo, an aviation analyst and the former inspector general of the US Transportation Department, told CNN. “Here we have a brand-new aircraft that’s gone down twice in a year. That rings alarm bells in the aviation industry because that just doesn’t happen.” Speaking to news.com.au, aviation expert Neil Hansford said he had great concerns about the aircraft model, and that this latest incident spells big problems for Boeing. “I wouldn’t fly on these planes,” he said after the Ethiopian Airlines crash. “Boeing have delivered around 350 MAX 8’s from more than 4000 on order.” Mr Hansford said while the investigation into both cases was continuing, both incdents are strikingly similar and he has questions over the education and training around Boeing’s updated software that was meant to prevent a stall. The 737 MAX was developed as a response to the Airbus A320 Neo, a new fuel efficient version of the A320 which is the 737’s big rival. Boeing designed the 737 MAX to be so similar to the usual 737s that pilots wouldn’t need to do any costly extra training to learn how to fly it. But aviation experts and pilots say their biggest concern with the new Boeing aircrafts is around a feature known as the Manoeuvring Characteristics Augmentation System or the “automated anti-stall system” — a new characteristic on the MAX 8 jets. The MCAS system relies on a gadget on the outside of the plane measuring how high the nose is. Too high and it brings the nose down. But the worry is this gadget is malfunctioning and its bringing the nose down for no good reason. It can mean the plane starts heading for the ground. “This is the first time Boeing has put in the MCAS that kicks in when a plane is climbing too quickly and could stall the aircraft,” he explained of the new software. “This system stops that stall, but is not supposed to kick in when the aircraft is flown manually by the pilot. It only kicks in during autopilot mode.” Concerns over flight control and pilot training According to some pilots’ unions, the change in the flight control system — which can override manual motions in the MAX model, was not explained to pilots flying the new models — reports the New York Times. Officials and analysts said it was too early to tell if there was any direct connection between the two incidents, but Mr Hansford agrees with pilot bodies and believes the problem lies within the training. “When you do conversion training from one model of aircraft to another, how to correct the MCAS should’ve been in the manual,” Mr Hansford said. “The only reason to put this software system in the plane is because of the bigger engines (that had to be placed in a different area of the wings), which can cause the aircraft to stall. “The new MAX aircraft have been stretched to have over 200 seats. This means the engines go further back causing propensity to stall.<doc-sep>Tweeps are divided on the decision by Comair to temporarily ground their Boeing 737 Max 8 planes, just hours after they said they would keep theirs in operation after the Ethiopian Airlines crash on Sunday. The head of Comair's airline division, Wrenelle Stander, said although they are still confident on the state of their planes, the safety and confidence of their customers are paramount to the company that operates Kulula and British Airways flights. While some Tweeps were unimpressed with the sudden change of heart and went as far as saying they initially put profit before the safety of the customers, some said they were relieved. Here are some of the reactions:<doc-sep>Boeing has moved to ground its entire global 737 MAX aircraft fleet after an Ethiopian Airline crash killed 157 people. Boeing has moved to ground its entire global 737 MAX aircraft fleet after an Ethiopian Airline crash killed 157 people.... Boeing has finally caved to pressure and grounded its entire global fleet of 737 MAX aircraft, after fresh evidence was found at the Ethiopian Airlines crash site and new reports revealed American pilots’ concerns about the plane. The US plane-maker said it continued to have “full confidence in the 737 MAX” but had decided to suspend its 371 planes worldwide “out of an abundance of caution and in order to reassure the flying public of the aircraft’s safety”. It made the decision after consulting with the US Federal Aviation Administration and National Transportation Safety Board, which were investigating the crash of a MAX 8 plane in Ethiopia. It followed US President Donald Trump issuing an executive order to ground the Boeing 737 MAX 8. #FAA statement on the temporary grounding of @Boeing 737 MAX aircraft operated by U.S. airlines or in a U.S. territory. pic.twitter.com/tCxSakbnbH — The FAA (@FAANews) March 13, 2019 Many nations had already barred the Boeing 737 MAX 8 from its airspace, but until Trump’s announcement, America’s Federal Aviation Administration had said that it didn’t have any data to show the jets are unsafe. Mr Trump cited “new information” that had come to light in the ongoing investigation into incident. He did not elaborate, however the FAA later confirmed that new evidence found at the Ethiopian crash site connected the Lion Air and Ethiopian Airlines accidents. “All of those planes are grounded, effective immediately,” Mr Trump said during a scheduled briefing on border security. Mr Trump said any aeroplane currently in the air will go to its destination and then be grounded. As Mr Trump made the announcement from the White House, a map by Flightradar24 showed all the MAX 8s in US airspace at that exact moment. President Trump has stated all US #737MAX will be grounded. The FAA has informed airlines. Awaiting official statement and/or Airworthiness Directive from @FAANews. Currently active MAX flights shown below. pic.twitter.com/xk4XEdl1wa — Flightradar24 (@flightradar24) March 13, 2019 He added all airlines and affected pilots had been notified. Mr Trump said the safety of the American people was of “paramount concern,” and added that the FAA would soon put out a statement on the action. Trump said the decision to ground the aircraft “didn’t have to be made, but we thought it was the right decision.” He did not say if reports of pilot concerns were a factor. The president insisted the announcement was co-ordinated with aviation officials in Canada, US carriers and aircraft manufacturer Boeing. “Boeing is an incredible company,” Mr Trump said. “They are working very, very hard right now and hopefully they’ll quickly come up with an answer.” Shares in Boeing bounced erratically after Trump’s decision to ground all of the top-selling 737 MAX 8 aircraft, to which much of the world’s airspace is now closed. But the stock price clambered back into the green for the day, rising 0.5 per cent to $377.12, putting it up for the first time in three days but still down nearly 11 per cent, or more than $USD28 billion ($AUD40 billion) since before Sunday’s deadly crash in Ethiopia. The Dow, where Boeing’s shares are heavily weighted, rose by triple digits, closing up 0.6 per cent at 25,702.89. In a statement, the FAA said the decision to ground Boeing MAX aircraft operated by US airlines or in US territory came “as a result of the data gathering process and new evidence collected at the site and analysed”, as well as “newly refined satellite data”. “The grounding will remain in effect pending further investigation, including examination of information from the aircraft’s flight data recorders and cockpit voice recorders,” the statement said. “An FAA team is in Ethiopia assisting the NTSB (National Transportation Safety Board) as parties to the investigation of the flight 302 accident. The agency will continue to investigate.” ‘DONT SINK DONT SINK!’ It comes hours after at least four pilots made reports following the October crash of a Lion Air flight in Indonesia shortly after takeoff, all complaining that the aircraft suddenly pitched downward, according to documents reviewed by AFP on a flight safety database. The incidents seem to involve the flight stabilisation system designed to prevent the aircraft from stalling, the “MCAS,” which was implicated in the fatal accident in the Lion Air crash that killed 189 people shortly after takeoff. One pilot logged an incident in November 2018, just weeks after the Lion Air crash, saying the plane “pitched nose down” two to three seconds after engaging the autopilot following takeoff, according to the report on the Aviation Safety Reporting System, maintained by NASA. “The captain immediately disconnected the autopilot and pitched into a climb,” the report said. “The rest of the flight was uneventful.” The report said the flight crew reviewed the incident “at length … but can’t think of any reason the aircraft would pitch nose-down so aggressively.” Another pilot on a flight in November said the crew discussed the concerns about the aircraft and “I mentioned I would engage the autopilot sooner than usual.” But again once engaged, there was a quick automated warning of “DONT SINK DONT SINK!” “I immediately disconnected the AP (autopilot) … and resumed climb,” the officer said. But after review, “frankly neither of us could find an inappropriate set up error.” “With the concerns with the MAX 8 nose-down stuff, we both thought it appropriate to bring it to your attention.” The Lion Air accident had focused attention on Angle of Attack (AOA) sensors connected to the Aircraft Stabilization System (MCAS). A malfunction of these tools may erroneously correct the path by pitching the aircraft down due to a mistaken assessment that the aircraft is in stall. The Ethiopian Airlines disaster took place shortly after takeoff and the aircraft experienced irregular climbs and descents just after taking off. “We’re going to decline to comment on specific ASRS reports,” an FAA spokeswoman told AFP.<doc-sep>After two fatal incidents involving a Boeing 737 MAX 8 in the past six months, several countries and airlines have grounded the aircraft until further notice. But North American carriers are sticking by the MAX 8, at least until further details are known about the latest disaster. Most recently, a Boeing 737 MAX 8 operated by Ethiopian Airlines en route from Addis Ababa to Nairobi crashed shortly after takeoff Sunday, killing all 157 people aboard. A similarly devastating crash took the lives of 189 people in October, when a 737 MAX 8 operated by Lion Air crashed into the Java Sea just after takeoff from Jakarta. The Lion Air disaster appears to have been caused at least in part by issues with a system designed to prevent stalls, which occur when an aircraft is no longer generating sufficient lift. It’s too early to tell if a similar problem doomed the Ethiopian flight. But with two 737 MAX 8 aircraft involved in fatal incidents in a relatively short period of time, Boeing is now facing tough questions about the plane’s reliability and safety. In terms of commercial aircraft, the MAX 8 is brand new, having first entered service in 2017. “Safety is a core value for everyone at Boeing and the safety of our airplanes, our customers’ passengers and their crews is always our top priority,” Boeing said in a statement. “The 737 MAX is a safe airplane that was designed, built and supported by our skilled employees who approach their work with the utmost integrity.” As of Tuesday morning, Ethiopia, China, Indonesia, Singapore, Australia have either grounded their 737 MAX fleets or barred the aircraft from entering their airspace. Most North American airlines, however, are taking a “wait and see” approach, giving investigators time to determine the cause of the most recent incident before taking major action. Removing a large number of aircraft from service, even temporarily, can result in significant disruptions to an airline’s operations. Here’s a look at the North American carriers that fly the Boeing 737 MAX 8, and their responses so far to Sunday’s Ethiopian Airlines disaster. American Airlines American Airlines has 24 of the 737 MAX 8 aircraft in its fleet, has ordered 76 more, and has confirmed to TIME that it will continue to fly the aircraft in the wake of the crashes. “At this time there are no facts on the cause of the accident other than news reports,” the airline said in a statement. “Our Flight, Flight Service, Tech Ops and Safety teams, along with the Allied Pilots Association (APA) and Association of Professional Flight Attendants (APFA), will closely monitor the investigation in Ethiopia, which is our standard protocol for any aircraft accident. American continues to collaborate with the [Federal Aviation Administration] and other regulatory authorities, as the safety of our team members and customers is our number one priority. We have full confidence in the aircraft and our crew members, who are the best and most experienced in the industry.” Southwest Airlines Southwest Airlines has 34 737 MAX 8s in its fleet. It has a longstanding relationship with Boeing and exclusively flies various types of 737s. “We have been in contact with Boeing and will continue to stay close to the investigation as it progresses,” Southwest Airlines said in a statement. “We remain confident in the safety and airworthiness of our entire fleet of more than 750 Boeing 737 aircraft, and we don’t have any changes planned to 737 MAX operations.” Aeromexico Aeromexico has six of the aircraft in its fleet (having taken its first delivery as recently as March 1) and has ordered 45 more. AeroMexico said late Tuesday it has “decided to temporarily suspend” its use of the MAX 8. In the same statement, the company said it “reiterates that it has full confidence in the safety of the fleet” but that the “safety of its operations and the peace of mind of its customers is the top priority.” Air Canada Air Canada, which has 24 of the aircraft in use and has ordered 26 more, did not immediately respond to TIME’s request for comment. But the Canadian television station CTV reported that Air Canada said its fleet of the aircraft had performed “excellently” and had no plans to ground the model. WestJet Canadian airline WestJet told TIME it has 13 737 MAX 8 aircraft in its fleet of 121 Boeing 737s, and will continue to fly the planes. “We are monitoring the situation closely and will not speculate on the cause of the incident,” WestJet said in a statement. “WestJet remains confident in the safety of our Boeing 737 fleet including our 13 MAX 8 aircraft first introduced in 2017. We have flown five different variants of the Boeing 737 since 1996, and the fleet currently operates around 450 safe daily B737 departures.” The Leadership Brief. Conversations with the most influential leaders in business and tech. Please enter a valid email address. * The request timed out and you did not successfully sign up. Please attempt to sign up again. Sign Up Now An unexpected error has occurred with your sign up. Please try again later. Check the box if you do not wish to receive promotional offers via email from TIME. You can unsubscribe at any time. By signing up you are agreeing to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. Thank you! For your security, we've sent a confirmation email to the address you entered. Click the link to confirm your subscription and begin receiving our newsletters. If you don't get the confirmation within 10 minutes, please check your spam folder. Write to Billy Perrigo at billy.perrigo@time.com.<doc-sep>
Share this Story: Questions raised over ‘anti-stall’ system on Boeing 737 Max 8s after two crashes in six months Questions raised over ‘anti-stall’ system on Boeing 737 Max 8s after two crashes in six months Both disasters saw the same model fall from the sky soon after take off: 11 minutes after the Lion Air flight departed Jakarta; six minutes after takeoff in Ethiopia Photo by MICHAEL TEWELDE/AFP/Getty Images Article content First introduced in 2017, the Boeing 737 Max 8 has now been caught up in two deadly disasters in just six months, and questions are being raised about eerily similar scenarios unfolding in both crashes. Sunday’s Ethiopian Airlines tragedy — which saw a passenger plane come down outside Addis Ababa, killing 157 people — closely resembled that of a Lion Air jet of the same Boeing model in October of last year, in which 189 were killed after plunging into Indonesia’s Java Sea. We apologize, but this video has failed to load. tap here to see other videos from our team. Try refreshing your browser, or Questions raised over ‘anti-stall’ system on Boeing 737 Max 8s after two crashes in six months Back to video In the aftermath of Sunday’s crash, the plane’s so-called Manoeuvring Characteristics Augmentation System is once more drawing global attention. An anti-stall system designed for safety, it uses a device on the plane’s exterior to gauge how high the nose is sitting. It is suspected, though, of having the potential to malfunction and hastily draw the plane’s nose down when there is no need. With much still to be learned about the Ethiopia disaster, safety experts are warning about drawing conclusions about the loss of the plane delivered to the airline in November. The jet’s last maintenance was on Feb. 4, and it had flown just 1,200 hours. There is no indication the anti-stall device was at fault in Sunday’s crash; the Ethiopian Airlines plane had passed all safety tests, whereas Lion Air pilots had previously reported problems with how that plane was responding to certain commands. Article content However, both accidents saw planes fall from the sky soon after taking off; 11 minutes after the Lion Air plane departed Jakarta, and six minutes after takeoff in Ethiopia on Sunday. In both cases, the captains reported being in trouble and asked to return; in the case of the Ethiopian Airlines crash this happened at around 2,500 feet, as opposed to 1,000 feet in the Jakarta crash, the Daily Beast reports. Their vertical speeds are reported to have shown similar patterns of instability. Photo by Graphic News Ethiopian Airlines said the senior pilot issued a distress call but all contact was lost shortly afterward. The plane plowed into the ground at Hejere near Bishoftu. The plane’s flight data and cockpit voice recorders have been found, but an airline official said one of the recorders was partially damaged and “we will see what we can retrieve from it.” Ethiopian authorities are leading the investigation into the crash, assisted by the U.S., Kenya and others. Article content The 737 Max 8 is the newest version of Boeing’s popular single-aisle airliner, which was first introduced in 1967 and has become the world’s most common passenger jet. The 737 is the bestselling airliner in history, and the Max, the newest version of it with more fuel-efficient engines, is a central part of Chicago-based Boeing’s strategy to compete with European rival Airbus. There is a potential for repeated nose-down trim commands of the horizontal stabilizer But Boeing is being sued by the families of victims of the Lion Air disaster over the plane’s allegedly faulty software, and an Indonesian government safety committee found the doomed Lion Air flight had suffered a flight-control sensor malfunction. The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) issued an Emergency Airworthiness Directive in the wake of the crash. Article content “This emergency AD was prompted by analysis performed by the manufacturer showing that if an erroneously high single angle of attack (AOA) sensor input is received by the flight control system, there is a potential for repeated nose-down trim commands of the horizontal stabilizer,” the directive reads.